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Should You Invest In Underground Downspouts?

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Invest In Underground Downspouts

When you carefully cultivate beautiful landscaping, you don’t want any unnecessary objects messing up your design. While downspouts can be useful, you may choose to leave them behind in favor of a gorgeous front walk.

Luckily, you don’t actually have to sacrifice home waterproofing for aesthetics. Instead, why not talk to your local foundation and basement repair professionals about underground downspouts?

What’s The Purpose Of An Underground Downspout?

If you’re looking to protect your home from water damage, you’re going to want to use every trick in the book to keep water away from your perimeter. While traditional downspouts will serve in a pinch, these downspouts can leak. They’re also inconvenient to move when you need to care for your lawn. Underground downspouts, comparatively, perform the same tasks as traditional downspouts while staying out of your way.

Both types of downspouts redirect water out of your gutters and into your lawn. If you invest in longer downspouts, you may even be able to direct unwanted water out toward a street drain. Underground downspouts, specifically, allow you to maintain your yard’s appearance while keeping your home safe from the worst of potential leaks.

What Are The Benefits of Underground Downspouts?

The appeal of underground downspouts is primarily in their aesthetic. If you’ve spent days and hundreds of dollars on your landscaping, the last thing you want is for a downspout to interrupt your flow. Underground downspouts will provide you with all of the benefits of a traditional downspout without the need to commit to one above ground.

Underground downspouts also pair exceptionally well with other waterproofing solutions. You can readily call on a professional contractor working out of the St. Louis, MO, area to discuss which of these solutions will best suit your home. The waterproofing measures that partner best with underground downspouts include:

Installing Your Underground Downspouts

While you can install underground downspouts on your own time, it’s best to do with the help of a professional. Most professional contractors working out of the St. Louis, MO, area will be able to inspect your home for potential damage and then provide you with a free quote on your install and other waterproofing measures.

That said, what does the installation process look like? Most contractors take the following steps to ensure that your underground downspouts are properly installed:

  • Laying the trench, or determining where your underground downspouts are going to run through your lawn
  • Marking the trench line
  • Digging the trench
  • Inputting thick PVC pipe or pipe of an equally-supportive waterproof material
  • Installing a starter elbow near your home
  • Inserting adapters and reducers where applicable
  • Connecting your downspouts
  • Directing the flow of water out toward your street or local sewer system
  • Backfilling the trenches until the pipes are no longer visible 

Most contractors can have your underground downspouts installed within a single day. If you’re having multiple waterproofing solutions installed at the same time, this process may take longer.

How Do You Unclog Underground Downspouts?

It’s possible for some pipes to clog and need to be cleaned out. You’ll know it’s time to clean your downspouts when you notice:

  • Excessive moisture in your home
  • Overfull gutters
  • Pooling water around the trench lines where your pipes are buried

While you can flush out your underground downspouts on your own, you can also reach out to a professional for guidance. If you do want to try and clear away a clog on your own, make sure to take the following steps:

  1. Release the underground drain.
  2. Insert a plumber’s auger, or a snake, into your downspouts.
  3. Twist clockwise until you come in contact with the blockage.
  4. Pull the blockage back toward you.
  5. Clean out your gutters with a garden hose to ensure water flows smoothly through the pipes.

You may be tempted to use a variety of chemicals to clean out your underground downspouts on a regular basis. It’s best to leave more severe clogs to the professionals as the unfettered use of chemicals in your downspouts may impact the health of the groundwater surrounding your home.

When it comes to the care and keeping of your home, you’ll want to make sure you have the best tools at your disposal. Talk to your local foundation and basement repair contractor today about the benefit of underground downspouts and any other waterproofing measures that may suit your home.

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