Buried downspouts & downspout drains:

This article describes problems that occur in buried downspuout or roof leader drains, including broken or clogged lines that cause basement flooding.

This article series discusses how to choose, install, diagnose & maintain roof gutters & downspouts, & roof drainage systems to prevent building leaks and water entry.

Q&A about using, fixing, un-clogging buried downspouts

These questions and answers about troubleshooting or fixing buried drain lines handling roof runoff were posted originallyt at DOWNSPOUTS BURIED / BELOW GRADE - be sure to review the advice given there.

On 2018-08-15 by (mod) - illegal for a buried downspout across a lawn to exit into a road?

Probably not, Dan if it's just handling roof-runoff; but check with your local building department: they're the final legal authority where you live.

On 2018-08-12 by DanJD

Is it illegal for a buried downspout across a lawn to exit into a road?

On 2017-06-20 by Chuck

? My buried 4" ads isn't clogged. In heavy rain it can't handle the big downpours. Its like pouring a bucket of water into a funnel is there a way to fix tbis without replacing the entire pipe?

On 2016-11-02 by Frank

My house ,a two story cottage plus basement is 90 years old . Has a buried downspout coming from the topmost roof. Two months ago, I noticed large amounts of water percolating thru the basement wall after very heavy rainfall. This now recurred a few times never had leakage occurred during the 30 years of ownership .

The wall of the basement is adjoining the part of the garden path fished with brick unistone 27 years ago. The wall above it(first floor) is the side of the house and is tangential and not perpendicular to he rainwater flow from the garden. I noticed a few of the"unistone" bricks getting gradually elevated as though pushed by water from below.

The buried downspout in question is about 3feet from the area of water seepage. I found out that he copper downspout going into the ground is blocked as proven with a garden house, although it flowed a few months ago. This downspout as well as the others drain into the sewer drains inside the house.

My question is why did the basement leak occur if the below ground downspout is blocked?

Is the water seeing between the bricks from ground level by the water coming down the blocked downspout but thr the hole made in the pipe that existed all along and is the exit for the water or is the underground downspout cracked?

The unistone paved way slopes away from the wall of the house and also sloped towards the street.
I get conflicting opinions and I would much appreciate your opinion.

On 2015-12-21 by (mod) -

Sure Suzi. Find our email at the page bottom CONTACT link to send some pictures

On 2015-12-19 by suzi

Just wondering if this is a normal type of repair? Is there anywhere to post pictures?

On 2015-10-20 by Lisa HWe

My husband and I were digging dirt away from foundation to paint Thoro Seal on the concrete block when we discovered the pipe from the sump pump had broken away from the underground drains used for the downspouts.

We have basement water problems not detected by an inspection done when we purchased the house in June. Who do we call to repair this T-connection? What appears to be happening is the sump pump still drains into the hole, however, water from the downspouts must pour out of the hole.

There was about a "cavern" around the pipe about a foot in diameter. We broke through this "cavern" by accident when pulling dirt away to do the painting.

On 2015-09-30 by Mike Robertson

I have a commercial building with gutters on one side of the building. I need to eliminate 2 of the 4 down spouts. Is it possible to run 2 of the downspouts into and thru the building with pvc piping and then back outside and down another side of the building?

On 2015-09-21 by Dave

I live in a semi and the water for both propertise run into a gutter which discharges at the end of my property. So in essence my neighbours roof water runs in my gutter all the way across in. I am concerned as if it leaks. What can be done legally.

On 2015-08-19 by (mod) -

Karen

There is more to this problem than just what you ask.

I would expect your attorney to say that you can certainly cut off and remove any neighbor's intrusion that crosses your property line.

But

1. you need to ask where her roof runoff water is going to go when you chop off the invading downspouts. If it is going to enter your property it may still be creating a problem for you and in that case you will need to address that

2. if you cap off her downspouts you will ultimately cause roof gutter overflows, burst downspouts, and possibly there could be a water entry problem in the neighbor's own building, creating both trouble for her and a dispute for you.

So you need to understand the water problems between neighbors and to see that water is directed away from your building without at the same time causing damage to your neighbor.

On 2015-08-19 by Karen

I have a neighbor who attached her downspouts to my sump pump drain without my permission. I want to disconnect her. Do I find the spot where she tied in, cut it off, and put caps over both openings?

She won't do it herself and I am afraid of the water backing up into my basement when her downspouts get clogged. This was all done on my property. I had caught a contractor digging one day and shooed him off. But, sometime when I was gone, it got done.

On 2015-06-12 by (mod) -

Don,

You will want to check with your local building department to see if they will accept use of a downspout drain as a drywell. Certainly in most jurisdictions we cannot discharge graywater to the surface.

I'd also want to be sure you were not overloading a drain that could back up and cause basement or crawl area flooding.

Best practice is to bring downspout drains to daylight, not to a buried termination.

On 2015-06-12 by Don

I live in the countryside (no storm drains or neighbors) and was wondering if I could redirect some greywater (laundry/shower) to my downspout drains which terminate in perforated buried pipe about 100ft from the house.

On 2015-05-09 by (mod) -

Perhaps you can lift the entry point to your drain system by cutting off the lower foot of downspout to lift the connection point to get the slope you need. Other options include a pump.

On 2015-05-09 by Danny

I live in a drier climate and want to use perforated pipe to water landscape. Currently the only spout solution is the splash guards the former inhabitants used which made for a lot of pooling. I plan on bringing the soil level back up to what is needed but the only routes to the sun are blocked by major trees. One one drain is a major issue and the rest drain well enough with perforated.

On 2015-04-20 23:24:35.665920 by (mod) -

Georgia

Cleaning a buried downspout line is easy or tough depending on its length, routing, number of turns. You may be able to do the job with a garden hose and spray nozzle - if not you'll need to engage a plumber who knows how to operate a power snake.

1. find the end of the drain line

2. Be sure that the end is not blocked - that is, the drain line is taken "to daylight" at a location where water can be discharged safely

3. DIsconnect the uphill end of the buried downspout drain line at the lower end of the downspout - above ground.

4. Connect a straight hose spray nozzle onto the end of your garden hose

5. Hook the hose up to water and turn on the water

6. Set the spray to a powerful squirt

7. Shove the hose into the buried drain line and push it along hoping (ok maybe it's a fantasy) that the spray and water will blow out the leaves that someone should have kept out of the gutter and downspout in the first place.

IF the line is collapsed, broken, disconnected, or completely full of mud and rocks my 7 step program may not work. In that case it's digging time.

Keep me posted.

On 2015-04-20 by georgia

How to clean out a underground downspout line?
thanks

On 2015-01-22 by Rex

I plan to pour a concrete slab over an underground 12
For an addition to my home, I plan to pour a concrete floor slab over a 12" storm drain line that runs through my backyard. Is this permitted by most codes?

On 2014-09-25 by (mod) -

JC

I use solid piping to transport roof drainage or other drainage across soils where I would not want water. You'll reduce the risk of frost damage to the foundations of the structure you describe by making sure water is not discharged where it may run back into and saturate soils within 2-4 meters of the foundation footings and walls. Such lines should be taken to daylight; the latter length can be perf pipe if you like.

On 2014-09-19 by jchahn991

We live on the West Coast of Canada, I am building my wife a 12' x 20' greenhouse with footings and 2' concrete walls. The slope of our yard is 1.5" per foot. I have installed a dry tank in the center of the greenhouse, and a wet tank 30 feet away that measures 6'x6'x6'.

My question is: Should I install a solid 4" pipe for roof drainage and perforated pipe for ground drainage, or do I just install a 4" perforated pipe for both?

On 2014-08-11 by (mod) -

Barbara,

you can purchase flexible or solid 4" or larger PVC piping that can be connected to the bottom of the roof drainage system downspout just above grade close to the building. As long as that piping slopes continually away from the house it can work until you're ready for the proper repair (which is not a French Drain)

On 2014-08-10 by Barbara Ginsburg

I have a broken downspout drainage pipe which comes up out of the ground next to the front corner of my home.

I can't afford a French drain at the moment, and am wondering if there are sleeves that can be inserted to keep the roof runoff moving through to the drain which goes to the street drain.

On 2014-08-06 by (mod) - you can guesstimate the starting depth of a footing drain

Mike you can guesstimate the starting depth of a footing drain by taking a look in the building's basement.
Measure the distance from the surface of the basement floor to that of the ground surface outside (yes you'll need to peer out of a basement window).

To that depth add about another foot to allow for the possibility that the top of the basement slab is a bit above the bottom of the foundation footings.

The footing drain is typically laid along the footing or a few inches above the footing underside.

From that point the footing drain, in a gravity-operated system, slopes down continually - at a minimum of 1/8" per foot if properly built) until the drain end comes to daylight away from the building.

Armed with the starting depth and the end point of the footing drain you can get a good idea of the piping depths.

About your water entry: before going to a big excavation expense, make SURE that your roof drainage system is being conducted away from the property (and not connected to the foundation drains)

On 2014-08-06 by Mike

How deep are underground drains, and are the searate from the foundation weeping system. I have a house built in 1969 and recently had a drainage issue. one of 2 downspouts were blocked underground about 10-15 feet in.

A snake was able to clear this and the piping took away a full water hose flow running for about 15 minutes. My question is how deep are thes drain lines in the event I would like to replace them in the future. The house also has a full basement with poured concrete walls. We had water recently and it was due to the blockage in the drainage.

On 2014-07-28 by (mod) -

Sounds a bit odd to me. Is it possible for you to estimate the depth of the piping and thus to check that the downspout is not draining along or into the foundation drain system?

Also you can perhaps test the connection during dry weather by sending hose water into the downspout and then checking for its emergence at the exit point you cited.

On 2014-07-27 by Anonymous

If there isn't this type of construction (a smaller pipe inside a larger diameter pipe that is pitched downslope to take water away from the house) I have no other thoughts except that the undergound vertical pipe is not connected, it simply sits on top of the drainage pipe.

I don't have any problems with the other underground vertical pipes collecting rainwater. They all drain perfectly.

This particular downspout is also at the lowest downslope corner on the house. If it were plugged, wouldn't the other downspouts uphill also back up?

On 2014-07-27 by Anonymous

The PVC downspout extends about 4 ft below grade into an underground piping system the flows downslope several hundred yards to a creek drainage. For sure when I look down the PVC pipe, about 4 ft down I am seeing the top of the drainage pipe supposed to carry water away downslope from my house. Ever hear of anything like this?

On 2014-07-27 by (mod) - metal downspout line is connected to a "horizontal" drain

Jim

Typically the metal downspout line is connected to a "horizontal" (actually pitched down away from the building) drain line that conducts the roof drainage to a destination, hopefully to daylight or to a storm drain well away from the building.

The system would not involve "concentric" piping except at the point of connection of the downspout into the conductor drainage piping.

On 2014-07-27 by Jim Schmitt

I have one underground downspout line that is plugged below grade. With an extension on my shop vac, I have been able to clear the downspout all the way to the bottom, but I find something strange. When I look into the downspout, it looks almost like the downspout is positioned to drain on top of a horizontally running PVC pipe.

Are rainwater drainage systems designed with smaller horizontal diameter pipes running inside larger drainage pipes? This would be the only way I can imagine seeing the top exterior of a PVC pipes

On 2014-02-24 by (mod) -

George, this is a handyman job or for larger excavation projects you'd need a excavation contractor; I figure that most "gutter companies" are about installing gutters on the roof edges and downspouts down to ground but are not equipped to handle excavation.

If you think the present buried line is maybe just blocked you could also call a drain cleaning company who use a rotating drain cleaning tool - but you'll need to trace the buried line to daylight or to its destination.

On 2014-02-24 by George

who would you call for inspection/repair of a buried downspout? I noticed I have erosion/tiny sinkhole that is filled with water near my buried downspout. Not sure if it clogged or cracked. This is really stressing me out and want it inspected ASAP.

On 2013-03-29 by (mod) -

Curtis,

Normally, no not below the frost line provided you've got adequate slope (1/8 to 1/4 " per foot) and that the lines remain unclogged.

On 2013-03-29 by Curtis

Do below-grade downspouts need to be below frost line? I'd like to lead to a bioretention area but need to travel 30'horizontally below grade to the area I can discharge to daylight. The pipe would be 1'-0" below grade but frost dept is 4'-0" in the winter.

...

Continue reading at DOWNSPOUTS BURIED / BELOW GRADE or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Roof Gutter & Downspout Articles

• GUTTERS & DOWNSPOUTS - home
• DOWNSPOUT / LEADER DEFECTS
  • DOWNSPOUTS BURIED / BELOW GRADE
  • ABANDON BURIED DOWNSPOUTS
  • CLOGGED BURIED DOWNSPOUTS
  • CONNECT DOWNSPOUTS to BUILDING DRAINS?
  • PERFORATED PIPE DOWNSPOUT DRAINS
  • BURIED ALUMINUM DOWNSPOUTS
  • UNDER-SIZED DOWNSPOUT DRAINS
  • SHARED DOWNSPOUT DRAINS
  • DOWNSPOUT EXTENSIONS
  • DOWNSPOUT ONTO BACKFILL
  • DOWNSPOUT ONTO IN-SLOPE GRADE
• DOWNSPOUT LEAKS
• DOWNSPOUT DEFECTS, OTHER
• DRYWELLS, FRENCH DRAINS for FLAT SITES
• FLAT ROOF DRAINAGE SYSTEMS
• FLOOD DAMAGE ASSESSMENT, SAFETY & CLEANUP
• GRADING, DRAINAGE & SITE WORK
• GUTTER CAPS
• GUTTER DEFECTS LIST

Suggested citation for this web page

DOWNSPOUTS BURIED / BELOW GRADE FAQs at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

Or see this

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to GUTTERS & DOWNSPOUTS

Or use the SEARCH BOX found below to Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia

Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia

Questions & answers or comments about installing, maintaining & repairing buried roof drainage piping, downspouts, leaders

.

Try the search box just below, or if you prefer, post a question or comment in the Comments box below and we will respond promptly.

Note: appearance of your Comment below may be delayed: if your comment contains an image, photograph, web link, or text that looks to the software as if it might be a web link, your posting will appear after it has been approved by a moderator. Apologies for the delay.

Only one image can be added per comment but you can post as many comments, and therefore images, as you like.
You will not receive a notification when a response to your question has been posted.
Please bookmark this page to make it easy for you to check back for our response.
Our Comment Box is provided by Countable Web Productions countable.ca

Citations & References

In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.

---

ADVERTISEMENT

---