Underground Gutter Overflow

From your home to prevent water damage to your basement and foundation.

Underground gutter overflow.

Some houses use downspouts that direct the flow of water downhill or down a slanted driveway. Identifying the cause is the first step to repairing your gutters. Debris flowing down the downspout drain leaves from gutters can block floor drains or even the main building sewer line leading to sewage backups into the structure. Elisa bernick associate editor.

Others have vertical pipes that either connect to a drain or run directly into the ground itself. Check to see if water and debris come out the other end of the pipe. A sagging downspout gutter will cause the water to pool along the length of the gutter without ever reaching the downspout. Turn on a garden hose to its most powerful setting and run water through the drain pipe.

You could possibly install a small turbine in the downspouts and generate some emergency electricity for power shortages. Common potential problems include. Extending downspouts underground beware the pipe to nowhere aug 26 2014 by matthew stock with michael likvan. If yours don t consider adding extensions in addition to a rain barrel downspout diverter.

A potential hidden problem. 1 debris clogging up the gutter and or downspout flow. Make sure your gutter downspouts discharge water at least 10 ft. Clogged underground drain systems can cause water to overflow in your gutter and eventually rot the fascia board behind your gutter.

A clog in the downspout gutter or along the gutter itself can cause the water to backup and overflow. It s a well accepted fact that excess rain water near the foundation of a home is an invitation to a wet basement. It s the most common reason for overflowing gutters. If the gutters are clogged enough the weight of the debris can cause the gutter to pull away from the fascia board which also causes damage.

Disconnect the gutter downspout from where it connects to the drain pipe. And thankfully it s relatively easy to fix more on this topic below. If you are experiencing pooling in your yard or areas where your underground gutter drain is installed you may have a clog causing the drain to leak. Sometimes the clog can be spotted from the opening of the drain.

Another sign is rain water overflowing the gutters even after a cleaning has been performed. You could put the downspout into a rain barrel system to collect the rain water and have an overflow so when it fills it dumps into the newly added washout. There are different ways that you can channel the water in your gutters away from your home.