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Home Improvement Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [downspout]

The part of a gutter where the water falls downward and typically away from the building it is affixed to or into some sort of water capture system. Use this tag for questions about installation, best practices, and general advice about downspouts.

Downspouts are an important part of any gutter system for buildings. They provide a way for the gutters to drain and to move the water away from the structure in an effort to prevent water damage.

Example downspouts on the side of a house

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Does this downspout design make sense?

I've recently started smelling a musty smell in my upstairs bedroom. The bedroom closet just happens to be where the downspout from the main roof drains onto the roof for my garage and creates a kind of corner in the roof. As I have been looking…
philmonroe
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How can I close and seal an abandoned downspout opening?

I need to relocate the downspout indicated in the picture below. How do I seal the opening that will be left after I relocate it ? (I will post a separate question about how to redo the slope of the gutters) The intent here is to discharge the water…
MiniMe
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How can I waterproof a hole in my vinyl deck to fit a downspout?

I am wondering if anyone might have some suggestions on solving this drainage issue with our vinyl deck. We used to have 2 separate decks but upon rebuild we have them joined with a narrow walkway. There was previously a downspout where the new…
nnamerz
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How do I repair/reattach downspout and gutter after snow/ice damage?

We've had a heavy dose of snow here in the Boston area it has taken a toll on our gutters and downspouts. The downspout at the rear of my house filled with ice and pulled away from the elbow that comes down from the gutter: Also, ice did some…
Shimon Rura
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How can I wrap a downspout around a corner into a rain barrel?

I am looking to get a new patio put in my back yard, and my local township laws require use of rain barrels if you have over a certain amount of impervious surfaces on your property. I have this current setup, with a plastic flexible spout piece…
Timothy G.
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What to do about clogged downspouts?

A picture is better than words... That's water shooting up from the connecting point during a heavy shower earlier due to the pressure.
Two Bit Gangster
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What are some good downspout options for a brick house?

I need to replace the gutters and downspouts on my house, and I'd like to know the best approach. The house is 100 year-old clay brick house. The old gutters were aluminum and used downspouts that sat on hooks embedded in the brick (with a series of…
acrosman
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Connecting downspout to first floor gutter

I am looking to connect my second floor downspout to the first floor gutter. In any sort of wind, the water misses the gutter completely and makes a big mess. I found the thread here very helpful for what I want to do but being new I cannot…
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What is the minimum distance from property line water can be drained?

My city (Redmond, WA) enforces the 2015 International Residential Code, but I could not find any requirements around distances of downspout and/or sump pump drainage from property lines. Perhaps I'm not searching on the right nomenclature. What is…
Scott Lin
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Do rainwater drain pipes have to bend at the bottom

One of our rainwater pipes ends half over a small drain, but the bend at the bottom means some of the water misses the drain and runs off along the patio, I thought I could simply cut a hole in the bend so the water drops straight down, but does the…
David Sykes
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Allow downspout discharge to cross a sidewalk in a freezing climate?

I have two downspouts whose discharge I need to get past a sidewalk. Currently for each gutter, corrugated tubing is run underground, under the sidewalk, for approximately 20 feet where it discharges out the side of the hill approximately 18 inches…
Luke Z
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Plastic bucket under gutter downspout

I am doing some work around my gutter downspouts and found that underneath the ones at the front of my house, someone had buried 2-gallon plastic potting containers (upside down). There was a piece of fabric barrier above them too. There is…
Jeff Widmer
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Switching downspouts to the other end of a gutter

What kind of accessories are available for switching the downspouts to the other end of the gutter? I'm not as concerned about the downspouts themselves as much as the connection to the gutter. I'm assuming I'm going to need to patch the connection…
Mike Cole
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Can I fix my leaking downspout without taking it apart?

I have a downspout leading to a large rain barrel that leaks from one or more of the joints. Instructions I can find on the internet suggest either taking it apart and re-assembling with new sealant, or scraping out the old sealant and putting in…
Reid
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Move or remove a downspout inside brick wall

I just moved into 1912 townhouse in DC. It has cast iron drain lines for the gutter downspouts. One of the lines is clogged, but I assume it eventually connects to the sewer. At some point in the house's history an addition was put on and this line…
Will White
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