Burying Downspouts

[D45]

I have six downspouts that I need/want to bury........

For those that have done this, any tip or tricks?

Smooth 4" PVC or black corrugated flexible (4"?)?

Did you use the pop up emitter at the end?

Did you use a Y fitting at the downspout to allow for cleanout access?

How far out did you run the pipe.......most say 10'

Thanks for any and all info!

 

[Capegls]

My neighbor just did this with a single down spout. He ran his 30' down grade in white pvc. He has a pop up emitter at the end, that ends up about 5' below the entry point of the downspout.

 

[eldirector]

I've buried several. All with corrugated. One is only the length of the flower bed it goes under, the second is about 10', another is about 20' to the end of a fence, and the last is around 75'. It has a clean out, and a couple of "t" connections for multiple downspouts. The shorter ones are just a section of pipe.

Been in place for about 7 years, with no real issues. I need to clean the Maple seeds out of the 20' one a couple of times a year, or it backs up.

 

[soapii]

I have always used 4" PVC. No Y's for cleanout. Distance away from the house varies.......I try to make one continuous run along the front or back of the house and tap into it for each downspout. So each leg ends up being a different length depending on the house.

--Joe

 

[nh_yota]

Solid PVC is better than black corrugated pipe because it is easier to run a drain cleaner through it if it clogs up.

 

[ford33]

I have two downspouts buried. Used a plastic fitting to connect to the downspout, then ran white PC underground to a plastic pop-up in the lawn. Works well and now I don't have a flooded or ice covered sidewalk.

 

[stsmytherie]

Look up "french drain". Just built one. Other than the digging (couldn't use a trencher or backhoe due to unidentified buried conduit), easy and effective.

 

[CNGsaves]

Best to have downspouts drain quick with few obstructions, and preferably to surface to run off or "daylight" to rockbed.

Been helping friend fix house which had buried downspouts in backyard. The originals were black corrugate with drain slots . . . BUT . . . the morons just buried them directly in soil (not enclosed in gravel and no sock around the pipe). I just had to yank them out as COMPLETELY full of soil and tree roots.

I'd vote smooth 4" sewer pipe, but incorporate some method if the whole run freezes over during winter . . . especially since OP is in cold enough climate for freezing winters. Thus, water will need alternate path at the clean-out point to back up and over at surface level. IMHO those pop-up emitters are ****. Much better to have drain run onto rock in a landscape feature (ie dry creek look or similar).

OP . . Update GJ Profile with location so easy to determine, and not to decipher your signature line.

 

[bmes1982]

I just ran about 90' of drain pipe to extend and connect 2 more downspouts to an existing run. I used 4" white Schedule 40 PVC. It has 2 t-fittings in it for the downspouts and 2 90 degree corner pieces, everything else is just straight. I don't like the black corrugated, it just doesn't seem as sturdy as the PVC.

 

[chase237]

Better to put a drain where the downspout empties than to bury the downspout in the ground. You might end up with an ice block that backs up to places you don't want it.
Do some googleing on ice dams and downspouts.

For drain lines, yeah go with the 4' PVC not the corrugated stuff. It crushes way too easy.

 

[GDPossehl]

The corrugated also gives more crevices for debris to collect and hold onto other debris which ends up clogging. I've got some buried down spouts and fear what lies ahead.

 

[jives]

I've just hooked two downspouts that empty at one of end of my house to a 4" non-perforated corregated drain pipe that runs alongside the house and then out to a gravel filled swale and then across my driveway. Only under the heaviest rain will the drains back up and spill out of the downspout-drain connection.

I had to swale the gravel driveway a bit to allow the water to drain across it. The swale also catches water running down the driveway. The water eventually runs into open grass. The swale is temporary -- underground PVC pipe will eventually carry the water under the driveway -- but I need to dig the area up for electrical for my garage and some landscaping. No point in digging the area up twice.

 

[67CarGuy]

Last year I had to remove the cracked clay drain pipes my downspouts went into. 70+ years old, full of roots... I used 4" white pvc as well, emptying to daylight. We get way too many mosquitoes here in Maryland for me to put anything corrugated in a place where it can hold water.

I want that water to have a nice smooth sloped ride away from my house, and as far away as is possible and realistic!

 

[Kevin54]

The corrugated also gives more crevices for debris to collect and hold onto other debris which ends up clogging. I've got some buried down spouts and fear what lies ahead.

^^^^THIS^^^^

DO NOT use the black corrugated ****. The PO of our house had all of his downs set into the black corrugated tile, and over the years that we lived here, gravel from the shingles, leaves, and whatever else plugged up the tiles. You cannot run an auger up that type of tile to clean it out so we had to abandon the buried tiles and add on longer down spouts to get away from the house.

If you are going to bury tile for your downs, please spend the extra money and go with smooth PVC. You won't regret it later.

 

[finn]

Dry well, filled with stone.

Make sure it is far enough from the house to avoid flooding the basement drain tile.

 

[101mph]

When I did mine I used the black corrugated pipes. But the way I did it (and I wouldn't recommend this because it was A LOT of work) I went around the entire house and ran all the downspouts into the one pipe. To keep the grade correct I ended up being about 4' deep by time I got all the way around the house. I had to dig the trench, and re-dig it a few times to get deep enough in these areas.

Then finally ran this pipe all the way down to the back of the yard where I had it drain out right next to the catch base. I filled this area with about 3'X3' of pea gravel.

I've never had an issue with my pipes clogging and it's been over 22 years. But I don't have any tall trees near my house that the leaves could fall into the gutters.

 

[sublimate]

How do you connect the downspout to the underground pipe?
Should it be a tight connection, or should there be an air gap/overflow?
If an air gap, I assume you can put this up off the ground so you don't get dirt/leaves falling in?
Can you buy a transition fitting from a rectangular downspout to 4" PVC?

 

[101mph]

There are fittings you can use to transition from the downspout to the pipe. I'm not sure about ones for PVC pipe.

I used rivets to hold these sections together.

 

[D45]

The black corrugated is much cheaper and much easier to work with

I also do not have any tree nearby and never have to clean out the gutters

 

[guy48065]

I've had 10' underground thinwall pvc (DWV--cheap) with pop-up emitters for maybe 12 years at current house. MI winters & all that. Pipes MAY be cracked from freezing but so what--most the water still shoots out the emitters.

In all those years I've only had one problem and I'm pretty sure it was due to a "perfect storm" of weather conditions. VERY cold winter froze the ground early, hard & deep followed by a warm early spring that quickly melted the roof & gutter ice. Water had nowhere to go bc of the frozen pipes so it gushed out around the square-to-round adapters at the standpipes. THAT concentrated a lot of water in one spot and I got a puddle in my basement, one corner only and very manageable. First time in 20 years I've lived there that I had water inside.

 

[Showkey]

I have had both corrugated and PVC. The corrugated was over 100" long run to the road ditch had year around water flow. In for 17 years no issues drain the basement sump and all the down spouts. My current home has PVC and also no problem but the longest run is 30'. It also has to deal with more leaves and acorns and debris. I do clean out the PVC at least once per year.
The daylight openings often need a screen as Critters love pipes. Big pipes = big critters. Screens demand frequent maintenance.
I think both can work but more critical is the available slope. Flat runs in freezing climate is going to be a huge problem. If a basement sump is involved it is critical to have a open connection at the house. This allows the pump to empty the crock even if the pipe is clogged down stream.

 

[Highbeam]

Never use corrugated roll up. Sure it's cheap but you get what you pay for. It crushes easily, does not hold grade, catches debris on the ridges, rots out and brittles in the sunlight, etc.

The cheap triple wall smooth white PVC drain pipe at home depot or lowes is actually built with a stick of this corrugated **** but made better by adding a smooth pvc layer inside and out. I use this.

Even better is true schedule 40 glue together pvc but that is overkill in most places.

 

[DMaxRocks]

My first attempt at a drain pipe was perforated 4" PVC. The first major rain, the water blew out all the dirt around the pipe. I had to pull up the perf pipe and replace with solid 4" PVC and drains into an underground basin with a slotted cover to allow the water to escape (top of basin is 6-8" below the bottom of my downspout/PVC connection). I have downspouts set up like this and has worked flawlessly for 18 years.

-Mark

 

[Fishplate]

The black corrugated is much cheaper and much easier to work with

But you can't seal the joints. If you have a joint underground, tree roots WILL grow into your pipe, and clog it up.

The idjit that built my house used DWV pipe. Fine. But he didn't glue the joints. Every few years, if I'm lucky, I am able to drag 20 feet of soil-laden tree root plug out of the pipe. If I'm not lucky, I get to dig. Eventually, they will all be replaced with a correct installation. And I won't have to swear at that cheap, lazy ******* any more.

 

[D45]

Got all six done, varied from 7' away to 12' away, with pop ups

 

[pablo94sc]

Looks like something I need to do. Thanks for making me spend money. Lol

 

[Mickm]

Exactly how do the "pop ups" work?
Cheers!
Mickm

 

[GCncsuHD]

Exactly how do the "pop ups" work?
Cheers!
Mickm

Downspouts are buried at a slight angle, towards the pop ups. As water fills up the elbow they are mounted in; the "cap" floats up and lets the water out, once the water stops flowing gravity lets the cap settle back into place.

 

[Jackfre]

I only use sch 40 pvc for the underground as I have had the corrugated and the sch 10 material collapse. I have also only run them to atmosphere, never having used a pop up. The light weigh pipe may work, but what kind of traffic is the area going to see? Plan for the worst

 

[jawmaw]

Downspouts are buried at a slight angle, towards the pop ups. As water fills up the elbow they are mounted in; the "cap" floats up and lets the water out, once the water stops flowing gravity lets the cap settle back into place.

Won't water then sit at the bottom of the 90 below the pop up and freeze plugging the pipe in the winter?

 

[csp]

There's a very small hole in the bottom of the pop up fitting to prevent water from pooling.

 

[D45]

Yes, the pop ups I used have 5 holes in the bottom of the cans

Additionally, the last 12" of pipe I used is perforated to assist with overflow drainage

 

[atthebeach]

The best approach depends largely on your situation. Do you get a lot of debris in your downspouts? How well does the ground perk? Do you have rocky soil that is difficult to dig? How far do you need to transport the water so it doesn't cause you or your neighbor a problem?

The last house I had came with long corrugated plastic pipe that was laid on top of the ground. We had a wildfire that burned up close to the house - didn't burn the house, but the plastic pipes were completely melted. I replaced them with buried corrugated pipe. The sections with a 1/4" per foot slope tended to clog up with debris from the trees. Other sections which dropped down a steep slope of more than 4" per foot never clogged.

My current house has buried 4" white PVC pipe. The longest run is nearly 100' with a 1/4" per foot slope. Sections are connected with wye connectors rather than tees. The only problem I have had is with birds building nests in the 3" x 4" downspouts, and then when it rains the downspouts are clogged. I have some metal screen material up in the gutter now to keep the birds out. When you connect the downspout to the pipe, be sure the connection is below the bottom of your siding so if there is ever any leakage it won't effect your siding. Hope your soil is not as rocky as mine.

 

[Mickm]

Where if you purchase your pop-ups? I looked at my local Lowe's but they did not have them.

Cheers!
Mickm

 

[BruceH]

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The corrugated sleeved drain has worked well here. Solved a drainage problem. The trench is filled with crushed rock. 90' run.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Look up "french drain". Just built one. Other than the digging (couldn't use a trencher or backhoe due to unidentified buried conduit), easy and effective.

French drains work, but they can easily be "overwhelmed", especially when you are directing runoff from a large roof.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I just ran about 90' of drain pipe to extend and connect 2 more downspouts to an existing run. I used 4" white Schedule 40 PVC.

Overkill. I used DWV. No issues.

 

[finn]

I don't see how the corrugated would plug faster than smooth.

The dain tiles around the footings on my project house are smooth, and were packed solid with infiltrated sand too.

Plugging is more a function of the gravel and fabric wrap than corrugated or smooth.

Once sand infiltrates, the bottom of the corrugated pipe becomes smooth anyway.

 

[ishiboo]

Use 4" PVC around the house. Much easier to work with and install since its rigid, stays cleaner. I have 1000'+ of corrugated drain tile and it works fine but I would have done PVC around the house.