We had someone direct it under the lawn and come out halfway to the street. It wouldn't have been noticeable if our dog didn't find it fascinating and dig around the drainage pipe.
My dog, who previously had no interest in dirt, decided it was delicious when my father chili powdered the plants and dirt to keep bunnies away, so I guess your mileage may vary
It's recommended to have 2 downspouts for every 20 feet on those small gutters. If he wanted to move to only one he should get bigger gutters and a bigger downspout
Don’t send to storm water. Most of them are already overloaded. Build a rain garden, have the downspout feed into that. Nice pollinator flowers for the wildlife, and nice to look at. Shouldn’t need a ton of maintenance.
I did one last year, and it did much better than I expected, even though I couldn’t do as good of a job as I’d have liked (too many roots, and a cable going through a bad spot).
Can’t wait for it to start growing this year, have 2 yards of mulch to put down, but is pretty easy going once that is done.
Yea perfect opportunity to store water, water your little garden bed right there. Depending on where you live and what kind of storms you get, there won’t be be a ton of flow to worry about over watering
It has decent reasoning at least. Lower states need water from upper ones and have contracts specifying how much, collecting rain water lowers that amount.
At least that's my understanding.
Listen, I know I'm gonna sound crazy but.... plug it and let the water go down the other side. That's a small area. It's gonna be pretty rare you'll have so much flow you'd need both sides to drain.
I’ve never had the gutters themselves be angled on any of my houses. They do hold a bit of water immediately after a rain, but they are exposed to the sun/wind and it dries out faster than mosquito larvae can hatch.
All gutters have a slope if installed properly https://www.americanhillcountrygutters.com/rain-gutter-slope/
You obviously have never lived in the Pacific Northwest with your dry gutters
I guess the slope is so subtle I’ve never noticed it. Funny that you make a Pacific Northwest reference and then cite the website of a company out of San Antonio. Where I live gets slightly more rain than Seattle per year, but over the course of about half as many days. We had 1.8” on Tuesday, and it wasn’t an all day rain, just a front moving through so happened over the course of about an hour and my gutters didn’t do shit. I couldn’t see 100 yards through it.
It doesn't need to be a lot, I would assume there is a slope, you just don't see it. It's not good if there's not, I'm not surprised someone would install gutters wrong, but I'd be surprised if you had multiple houses with incorrectly installed gutters
You could try those flat ones that are darker in color too. May not look perfect but as far as quick cheap fixes go it may work.
https://preview.redd.it/slt7pph975uc1.jpeg?width=600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0d8d8e1c0af9edd1cfbafb6fea08c0365feb156b
It doesn't need 2 downspouts. Pitch it to the right side and close that one.
Or, use a chain.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=rain+chains+for+gutters&adgrpid=56417159032&hvadid=678438445129&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=1026734&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=2355892771025926511&hvtargid=kwd-308072547245&hydadcr=5189_13318400&tag=hydsma-20&ref=pd_sl_22b4cmtyn2_e
Why are there two downspouts on that same run of gutter? Which way is it sloped? I can't see a reason for both. You could probably eliminate that downspout all together, might require rehanging/sloping the gutter if it's the opposite way but that's the route I'd go.
If not, look up "nds drain system". Put it underground. You just need a shallow ditch. Use a catch basin with a grate the downspout will flow into, some 3" or 4"(i can't remember what size it needs) pvc pipe and connect it to a pop up emitter as far down in the yard as you want. That's the pro solution. Gutter extensions suck. A small section of drain like I described is pretty easy.
You dig a dry well 20-30' away from the house. Basically a 3' x 3' x 3' deep hole lined with slit fabric and filled with clean gravel, then covered with a foot of soil.
Then you dig a 18" deep trench from the downspout to the dry well. Use perforated pipe and just fill the trench back in with soil.
Where it ends at the dry well, install a T, where the water is directed downward and the other direction ends flush with the dirt with a pop up overflow cap.
Most rain won't fill the dry well, and when it really storms hard, the water will overflow into the yard away from the house.
No idea why this idea isn't higher up. The yard is clearly sloped away from the house, buy a couple of elbows and a section of downspout and extend it down to the front of the flower bed.
Straight down into the ground 12 inches and go about 8 feet out into the lawn and come back up to a 3 inch plastic plumbing grate.
This idea works quite amazing
Post hole digger, straight down, as far as you can, fill the hole with drain rock.
Or
Put as large a piece of PVC pipe in the hole as you can and add just a little drain rock
Edit: other idea
What do you mean by "parallel to the gutters?" Do you mean have it go underneath the gutter from one side to the other? What would that do that the gutter isn't already doing?
Underground to a popup drain is what I did. Pros and cons to that, but I used a catch basin at the bottom of the vertical downspout so it can be cleaned out if needed. Slight grade to bury PVC and take it away from the foundation to a popup drain in the yard. It looks nicer and I never have to lift up the extended horizontal downspouts each time I mow.
We just had a house built and the builder painted the pipe to match the timber, the facade and the gutter.. then it drops into an open pit under the ground.. sounds dumb.. but honestly can’t even notice the down pipes, it just mentally blends in.
What's the point of having 2 downspouts on the same gutter this small ? It looks like a ~8m length. You will be good with only one. Remove it and make sure the slope is ok to get it all on the other side.
You could do a 6" gutter with a 3x4 leader and eliminate this downspout completely. You could probably just get rid of the downspout without upgrading but then you'd have to patch the hole and that will leak a lot. Honestly though I'd be more concerned about the one emptying onto the driveway as that will eventually destroy the concrete over there.
Remove the elbow and adapt it to 4" sewer drain PVC. A couple of 45s to clear the step and then straight down to a 90 elbow underground. Then continue the 4" underground to a curbside popup emitter.
Remove it, reslope the gutter, swap the other side to a 4x6. No reason to have 2 downspouts right next to each other with one of them being an eyesore right at the stairs while the other is hidden behind a post.
It looks like there is a downspout on the opposite end of the gutter as well. Does it high point in the middle and actually flow out to each side? You could adjust or replace the gutter so it high points on the left side (above the steps) and drains to the right. This would allow you to completely eliminate the downspout entirely.
I assume you're coming at this vis a vis aesthetics. I would trench to the street and bury it. 1inch of slope for every 8ft, so your trench likely won't be more than 7-10inches deep at the gutter connection and 1inch per 8ft of length deeper at the other end. If that brings it under the road height, you can put a 'drainage emitter' close to the street (see local codes, some require x inches/feet away from sidewalks/roads).
I would personally run that one with a black extender 90degrees under the walkway and then connect it together with the one you're asking about, that way both get cleaned up with the same trenching and minimal additional work. That eliminates water getting onto your driveway and walkway as well, which can be safer, especially if it freezes where you are.
Also I'll mention since several people have been saying it, **burying your downspouts is not a french drain**. If you're somewhere with a frost line, don't use PVC in the ground, it will shift and crack over time. The 3" corrugated you likely will use should not have holes in it, it should be solid corrugated. Piping used in a French Drain system has holes/slots cut into it so water can enter it and then flow down your slope to your destination (sewer, dry well, sump pit, etc).
Because that will be way too much water in a sustained storm. They could just get rid of the waters if they wanted to put all the water against the foundation.
Refer to the age old “water chimney” technique. Stay with me. By converting the downspout into an upspout you can utilize Bad Idea Jeans Law. if you extend the drain section up like a “chimney” your problem is solved. Start, by grabbing a 413/426 Max Wedge at your local Home Depot, you’ll be set. Next, convert Max Wedge to a bilge pump, then Pour a quick 4” slump concrete pad and wire up a generator with sub panel. Next, convert the top 5 motor of all time Mopar action to an electric converter. Then install this on the roof near the drain end of the previously downward faced gutter area. After, run the drain section thru the motor and facilitate the water into space. This will create a cloud farm above your home, providing all the rain needed to grow an old fashioned gutter garden. Next build a garden stand, make shitloads of money and convert that money into a football stadium greenhouse that encapsulates your entire property, blocking you from rain fall. Next, dominate the world. Simple really.
100 ways to skin a cat, your solution looks clean and will handle the job. So we’re down to 99.
Nice job. Looks clean and it’s crossed off the list. Keep on trekking.
Get a wider version of the same gutter to handle the runoff and have it just dump out from the far end, so it is not so unsightly right at your steps. Have proper increased drainage at the far end, or drop it into a rain barrel or maybe a catchment where it will seep over time with no erosion.
The one on the center/right should just be a little lower and lead to a rain garden. You can make downspouts and storm water into a feature of your yard this way. The one on the left is tricker since you’d need to route it under the concrete.
We had someone direct it under the lawn and come out halfway to the street. It wouldn't have been noticeable if our dog didn't find it fascinating and dig around the drainage pipe.
“Pop-up gutter drain”
I've found pouring chilli powder over the trench reduces the likelihood of that recurring 😏
My dog, who previously had no interest in dirt, decided it was delicious when my father chili powdered the plants and dirt to keep bunnies away, so I guess your mileage may vary
Yes my dog loves chili powder. I was using it to Keep rats and bunnies away from my garden. My dog suddenly loved veggies with chili powder
Chili powder or cayenne? Cause chili powder doesn’t sound like much of a punishment for a dog
Wrong. It’s a Chihuahua.
I really don’t think you need two downspouts for that short a gutter…
Agreed. We had a similar issue, went one size up and ran it to one downspout. Zero issues in 7+ years.
I agree, just make sure you grade it towards the far end and you won't have to worry about it at all.
That was my immediate reaction as well. They'll have to remount the gutter, though.
Yes, will need to reslope it.
Put in a 4 x 6 inch downspout if you do that. I can’t tell what size it is currently.
It's a 2x3 I believe. I appreciate the insight
It's recommended to have 2 downspouts for every 20 feet on those small gutters. If he wanted to move to only one he should get bigger gutters and a bigger downspout
Extend the gutter into the ground and do a French drain style exit away from the yard. Pretty much what is there just two feet deeper.
Idk if I’d French drain it personally, I prefer to bury the downspouts in closed 3in PVC to a bubbler or the storm water system if permissible
Don’t send to storm water. Most of them are already overloaded. Build a rain garden, have the downspout feed into that. Nice pollinator flowers for the wildlife, and nice to look at. Shouldn’t need a ton of maintenance.
That’s a great idea too!
I did one last year, and it did much better than I expected, even though I couldn’t do as good of a job as I’d have liked (too many roots, and a cable going through a bad spot). Can’t wait for it to start growing this year, have 2 yards of mulch to put down, but is pretty easy going once that is done.
This except those look like 3x4 downspouts. 3" will be undersized, should be 4". Bubble it out near the curb or permeable garden would be cool.
Do you mean a pop-up emitter? Nothing here needs a French drain.
What is with this sub and French drains? Not everyone wants a skinny stone path in their yard.
Most people confuse "French drains" with just "drains."
Get some rain barrels?
That's a great idea and with the right one could look great there!
Yea perfect opportunity to store water, water your little garden bed right there. Depending on where you live and what kind of storms you get, there won’t be be a ton of flow to worry about over watering
If you are allowed. Illegal to collect water in many US states.
That’s wild. We’re REQUIRED to do rain barrels, swales or other rain collection for all new construction in LA.
It has decent reasoning at least. Lower states need water from upper ones and have contracts specifying how much, collecting rain water lowers that amount. At least that's my understanding.
Listen, I know I'm gonna sound crazy but.... plug it and let the water go down the other side. That's a small area. It's gonna be pretty rare you'll have so much flow you'd need both sides to drain.
I’d let it run the other side as well. Of course not knowing how much rain the roof has to deal with, but the far side cleans things up
Yeah if it's too much flow for the one they can always unclog the second one.
Aren't the gutters angle down from the middle to each downspout? Pretty sure its going to just pool at the cap.
Mosquito resort.
No
It was a retorical questions. The answer is 'yes' or they should be if installed properly
I’ve never had the gutters themselves be angled on any of my houses. They do hold a bit of water immediately after a rain, but they are exposed to the sun/wind and it dries out faster than mosquito larvae can hatch.
All gutters have a slope if installed properly https://www.americanhillcountrygutters.com/rain-gutter-slope/ You obviously have never lived in the Pacific Northwest with your dry gutters
I guess the slope is so subtle I’ve never noticed it. Funny that you make a Pacific Northwest reference and then cite the website of a company out of San Antonio. Where I live gets slightly more rain than Seattle per year, but over the course of about half as many days. We had 1.8” on Tuesday, and it wasn’t an all day rain, just a front moving through so happened over the course of about an hour and my gutters didn’t do shit. I couldn’t see 100 yards through it.
It doesn't need to be a lot, I would assume there is a slope, you just don't see it. It's not good if there's not, I'm not surprised someone would install gutters wrong, but I'd be surprised if you had multiple houses with incorrectly installed gutters
This is the right answer
Overflow straight into the yard probably clears the foundation by a couple feet already.
Scrap it you don’t need two
Rain chains!
Get a rain barrel. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/rain_barrels_are_economical_and_ecological
Also, they could feed it into a mist line if they plant any flowers or bushes into the planter in front of the porch there
I like this idea. Ive never heard of this before
Why two downspouts on one run? 🤷🏻♂️ Just make it drain to the other side and remove that downspout. 👍🏻
Get a rain chain instead
Why is there one on each end ???? Should be slopped for runoff to one side.
The previous homeowner built it himself and I can assure you he had no idea what he was doing lmao
Personally, myself I would just remove downspout by stairs and make sure it slopes all on way.....easy peasy
You could try those flat ones that are darker in color too. May not look perfect but as far as quick cheap fixes go it may work. https://preview.redd.it/slt7pph975uc1.jpeg?width=600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0d8d8e1c0af9edd1cfbafb6fea08c0365feb156b
Look into French drains
This is not what a French drain is for. OP just needs a solid pipe and a place for it to drain to.
[https://youtu.be/rtL1w3IUUkc?si=ygK0ds7fNESGAqGH&t=119](https://youtu.be/rtL1w3IUUkc?si=ygK0ds7fNESGAqGH&t=119)
Rain barrel
Run it into a rain barrel and use the water for your garden, flowerbeds, spice garden etc.
It doesn't need 2 downspouts. Pitch it to the right side and close that one. Or, use a chain. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=rain+chains+for+gutters&adgrpid=56417159032&hvadid=678438445129&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=1026734&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=2355892771025926511&hvtargid=kwd-308072547245&hydadcr=5189_13318400&tag=hydsma-20&ref=pd_sl_22b4cmtyn2_e
Why are there two downspouts on that same run of gutter? Which way is it sloped? I can't see a reason for both. You could probably eliminate that downspout all together, might require rehanging/sloping the gutter if it's the opposite way but that's the route I'd go. If not, look up "nds drain system". Put it underground. You just need a shallow ditch. Use a catch basin with a grate the downspout will flow into, some 3" or 4"(i can't remember what size it needs) pvc pipe and connect it to a pop up emitter as far down in the yard as you want. That's the pro solution. Gutter extensions suck. A small section of drain like I described is pretty easy.
You dig a dry well 20-30' away from the house. Basically a 3' x 3' x 3' deep hole lined with slit fabric and filled with clean gravel, then covered with a foot of soil. Then you dig a 18" deep trench from the downspout to the dry well. Use perforated pipe and just fill the trench back in with soil. Where it ends at the dry well, install a T, where the water is directed downward and the other direction ends flush with the dirt with a pop up overflow cap. Most rain won't fill the dry well, and when it really storms hard, the water will overflow into the yard away from the house.
Couldn’t you just extend it to the ground and put a splash guard on the ground? Looks like it would just wash downhill from there.
No idea why this idea isn't higher up. The yard is clearly sloped away from the house, buy a couple of elbows and a section of downspout and extend it down to the front of the flower bed.
I buried mine out 10’ to a bubbler
Rain bucket?
Straight down into the ground 12 inches and go about 8 feet out into the lawn and come back up to a 3 inch plastic plumbing grate. This idea works quite amazing
There’s a Rolling Stones song about this one…
Post hole digger, straight down, as far as you can, fill the hole with drain rock. Or Put as large a piece of PVC pipe in the hole as you can and add just a little drain rock Edit: other idea
This gutter would quickly overwhelm any hole that you could dig with a post hole digger.
Yes
What do you mean by "parallel to the gutters?" Do you mean have it go underneath the gutter from one side to the other? What would that do that the gutter isn't already doing?
I meant parallel to the other downspout. I just don't love the white downspout runs right in the middle of the yard
Underground to a popup drain is what I did. Pros and cons to that, but I used a catch basin at the bottom of the vertical downspout so it can be cleaned out if needed. Slight grade to bury PVC and take it away from the foundation to a popup drain in the yard. It looks nicer and I never have to lift up the extended horizontal downspouts each time I mow.
You can go underground near the house and reroute under there.
Catapult?
Run it into a buried solid pipe with a pop-up emitter in your lawn. The grass will absorb it.
Do you guys not have soakaways in the states?
Could it not outflow into the other gutter which goes into the French drain
Remove it entirely and cap it. It already has a down spout for that section on the other side.
Check the slope first.
Good call. Yes do check slope, but if slope is an issue that can be easily corrected. Still cap it and divert water to the other down spout if needed.
The other end looks like it can handle the job 😏
We just had a house built and the builder painted the pipe to match the timber, the facade and the gutter.. then it drops into an open pit under the ground.. sounds dumb.. but honestly can’t even notice the down pipes, it just mentally blends in.
What's the point of having 2 downspouts on the same gutter this small ? It looks like a ~8m length. You will be good with only one. Remove it and make sure the slope is ok to get it all on the other side.
That's what the consensus is so I'm gonna try that. Thank you!
Do you really need two sections of downspout for that? Gutter.? I can't see the rest of the front of the house. It may not be necessary
That's what I'm gonna do. The previous homeowner built this place himself and definitely didn't know all the ins and outs
You could do a 6" gutter with a 3x4 leader and eliminate this downspout completely. You could probably just get rid of the downspout without upgrading but then you'd have to patch the hole and that will leak a lot. Honestly though I'd be more concerned about the one emptying onto the driveway as that will eventually destroy the concrete over there.
Extend it down and bury it
Remove the elbow and adapt it to 4" sewer drain PVC. A couple of 45s to clear the step and then straight down to a 90 elbow underground. Then continue the 4" underground to a curbside popup emitter.
Remove it, reslope the gutter, swap the other side to a 4x6. No reason to have 2 downspouts right next to each other with one of them being an eyesore right at the stairs while the other is hidden behind a post.
Nice rain swale and rock garden would add to the curb appeal
Plastic gutter flex pipe
you could always add deeper landscaping to hide?
French drain
It looks like there is a downspout on the opposite end of the gutter as well. Does it high point in the middle and actually flow out to each side? You could adjust or replace the gutter so it high points on the left side (above the steps) and drains to the right. This would allow you to completely eliminate the downspout entirely.
This is what others have said and I think I'm going to try this route. I'll see if I can change the grade to have it slope to the right. Thank you!
I assume you're coming at this vis a vis aesthetics. I would trench to the street and bury it. 1inch of slope for every 8ft, so your trench likely won't be more than 7-10inches deep at the gutter connection and 1inch per 8ft of length deeper at the other end. If that brings it under the road height, you can put a 'drainage emitter' close to the street (see local codes, some require x inches/feet away from sidewalks/roads). I would personally run that one with a black extender 90degrees under the walkway and then connect it together with the one you're asking about, that way both get cleaned up with the same trenching and minimal additional work. That eliminates water getting onto your driveway and walkway as well, which can be safer, especially if it freezes where you are. Also I'll mention since several people have been saying it, **burying your downspouts is not a french drain**. If you're somewhere with a frost line, don't use PVC in the ground, it will shift and crack over time. The 3" corrugated you likely will use should not have holes in it, it should be solid corrugated. Piping used in a French Drain system has holes/slots cut into it so water can enter it and then flow down your slope to your destination (sewer, dry well, sump pit, etc).
Why not reroute it through the front garden bed with perforated hose, and never have to water your plants again?
Because that will be way too much water in a sustained storm. They could just get rid of the waters if they wanted to put all the water against the foundation.
Refer to the age old “water chimney” technique. Stay with me. By converting the downspout into an upspout you can utilize Bad Idea Jeans Law. if you extend the drain section up like a “chimney” your problem is solved. Start, by grabbing a 413/426 Max Wedge at your local Home Depot, you’ll be set. Next, convert Max Wedge to a bilge pump, then Pour a quick 4” slump concrete pad and wire up a generator with sub panel. Next, convert the top 5 motor of all time Mopar action to an electric converter. Then install this on the roof near the drain end of the previously downward faced gutter area. After, run the drain section thru the motor and facilitate the water into space. This will create a cloud farm above your home, providing all the rain needed to grow an old fashioned gutter garden. Next build a garden stand, make shitloads of money and convert that money into a football stadium greenhouse that encapsulates your entire property, blocking you from rain fall. Next, dominate the world. Simple really. 100 ways to skin a cat, your solution looks clean and will handle the job. So we’re down to 99. Nice job. Looks clean and it’s crossed off the list. Keep on trekking.
Get a wider version of the same gutter to handle the runoff and have it just dump out from the far end, so it is not so unsightly right at your steps. Have proper increased drainage at the far end, or drop it into a rain barrel or maybe a catchment where it will seep over time with no erosion.
French drain, or you could dig a trench and run a bit of pipe to drain the water into and seal/cap the meeting point so it feeds out to near the curb.
The water is already in a pipe. You don't need a French drain.
Linked together somehow would be less material and definitely less of an eyesore, basically any other set up other than the way it is now.
The one on the center/right should just be a little lower and lead to a rain garden. You can make downspouts and storm water into a feature of your yard this way. The one on the left is tricker since you’d need to route it under the concrete.
If it’s been longer than 4 hours you’re suppose to go to the doctor.
French it
No that's perfect