Downpipe bend required for gutter

Submitted by altreunau t3_yi7hva in DIY

Hello,

We just bought a house and yesterday I (a new home owner and general no-nothing regarding property ownership and maintenance) was checking the guttering.

I have attached a photo showing a downpipe that doesn't have a bend to take the water away from the house.

The previous owner has come up with a solution (see photo) that has resulted in some water missing the horizontal white halfpipe (correct term?) and running down the side of the wall. Lot's of soil there was very wet and washed away.

To the right of the photo (out of frame, apologies), there is a horizontal pipe partially in the ground the takes the water away in to the canal system.

I would like to connect the downpipe in the photo to the horizontal pipe out of frame.

So my plan would be:

  1. Remove the bottom section of the pipe and replace it with a bend
  2. connect the bend with the horizontal pipe

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https://preview.redd.it/rejcjmskb4x91.jpg?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=976969495787f1a299233d318cb29d8d2f7bca6d

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Comments

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Maplelongjohn t1_iuhnt9p wrote

In the states I can buy a small inverted wire basket thing that fits into the hole where the downspout attaches to the trough.

It keeps.leavea from clogging the downspout and helps keep.water flowing even when hotter is getting full of leaves

If you can't find a zinc elbow you may be able to use a rubber fernco type setup

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DeLo_Ray t1_iuhfcxr wrote

That's a great idea. Overflowing/improper gutters and downspouts are the number one cause of water entry into the lower levels of the home. If you decide to use a plastic flexible downspout (as most DIY'ers do), just be aware that these clog very easily. I can see there's a lot of leaves in the area (meaning overhanging trees with more leaves that can potentially clog) so keep that in mind.

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altreunau OP t1_iuhgc8y wrote

Hmm this is a good point. There were many leaves in the gutters that we removed and also many leaves in the downpipe. I was able to push a long twig down the pipe and out the bottom to remove all the leaves. This won't be possible when I connect a bend and pipe at the bottom. Perhaps there are solutions to prevent leaves going in to the down pipe. E.g. cut the over hanging trees, or a guard of somesort.

The existing pipe is zink, so I think I will just use zink for the new parts, unless there is a good reason to use plastic instead?

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DeLo_Ray t1_iuhhg18 wrote

Trimming the trees? Excellent idea. Prevent as many leaves from coming in the area as possible. Gutter guards/screens are also a good idea, but these too need maintenance and cleaning periodically but would definitely help with the clogging situation.

By all means stick with the metal materials, those are definitely superior to plastics in terms of function and durability. I just brought up the plastic flexible type because they're cheap and easy to install, which is the kind of job that most DIY'ers tend to gravitate to. But if you have the option of going with zinc/metal then yes go with that.

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TheHomersapien t1_iuiqmew wrote

I would go to Home Depot and buy a 8 or 10' length of 4" corrugated drain pipe and call it a day. Clean it out in the spring and fall and it'll be just fine.

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G-bone714 t1_iuhkr13 wrote

I would cut an arch in the front of the pipe (where the 1 is) and leave it as is.

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altreunau OP t1_iuhph7y wrote

The arch would help prevent water splashing back behind the white halfpipe?

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G-bone714 t1_iuhq4tb wrote

I think so because the back wouldn’t be cut out at all. The white half pipe will act as the bend. I’ve done this and it worked fine. You can still go back to your original plan if you don’t like the results.

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altreunau OP t1_iuhs48c wrote

Yeah the problem is, the white half pipe isn't secured, so I'd still be concerned that it could shift downwards e.g. kicked, heavy storm, wind etc. and the water would still flow back against the wall. So I think I'll go with my original solution.

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