Gutter Cleaning Shaw DC
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yhuo0 ryiu
Jun 6, 2019, 11:40:15 AM6/6/19
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Downspouts are the vertical tubes that are connected to your gutters. They transfer the collected water from the gutter at the roof line down to near the ground level. The number of downspouts necessary for any gutter system is roughly calculated at one downspout for every 35 feet of gutter length. This is a general guide. When you clean your gutters, you should also run some water down your downspouts to ensure they are free of debris. Hornets, birds, and other critters also like to make their homes in these tubes. A missing downspout is much more of a serious issue than a missing gutter, because the water is much more concentrated at the downspout area and all the water is directed towards the foundation at a relatively high velocity as gravity takes it from your roof to the turf, whereas in a missing gutter the water is spread along the entire roof line. A missing downspout focuses all the water in a small area which will puddle quickly and saturate the soil next to, and under your foundation in a very short amount of time. This can easily cause considerable damage to walls, siding, basements, landscaping, and crawlspaces.
Roof gutters on second floor roofs with missing downspouts can cause considerable damage to the first floor roofs if the water is allowed to fall directly onto the shingles. Remember, this water will be collected by a second floor gutter and led to a point that should have a downspout. If the spout is missing... this water will drop at relatively high velocity and will also drop at a high, concentrated volume. This will definitely lead to early shingle failure and should be an item of immediate concern.
As the downspout nears the soil, it generally has a curve to channel the collected water away from the foundation. The recommended practice is to make this end of your downspout so that it channels the runoff to a point 6 feet distant from the home. Again, this is to prevent water from saturating the soil next to the home which could cause catastrophic structural damage. There are several ways to get this 6 foot distance. One way is to simply extend the bend at the bottom of your downspout. These are called "downspout extensions". Another way is to run the downspout into a drain pipe hidden beneath the soil, and then extend it away from the house. They are more pleasing to the eye than a 6 foot piece of drain pipe and they cannot be damaged by a lawnmower. These hidden drains have disadvantages though... they can become clogged and you may not know it until it is too late. But what if you don't have underground drains, and you don't want plastic or aluminum downspout extensions extending 6 feet into your yard. Then consider using "splashblocks".
Roof gutters on second floor roofs with missing downspouts can cause considerable damage to the first floor roofs if the water is allowed to fall directly onto the shingles. Remember, this water will be collected by a second floor gutter and led to a point that should have a downspout. If the spout is missing... this water will drop at relatively high velocity and will also drop at a high, concentrated volume. This will definitely lead to early shingle failure and should be an item of immediate concern.
As the downspout nears the soil, it generally has a curve to channel the collected water away from the foundation. The recommended practice is to make this end of your downspout so that it channels the runoff to a point 6 feet distant from the home. Again, this is to prevent water from saturating the soil next to the home which could cause catastrophic structural damage. There are several ways to get this 6 foot distance. One way is to simply extend the bend at the bottom of your downspout. These are called "downspout extensions". Another way is to run the downspout into a drain pipe hidden beneath the soil, and then extend it away from the house. They are more pleasing to the eye than a 6 foot piece of drain pipe and they cannot be damaged by a lawnmower. These hidden drains have disadvantages though... they can become clogged and you may not know it until it is too late. But what if you don't have underground drains, and you don't want plastic or aluminum downspout extensions extending 6 feet into your yard. Then consider using "splashblocks".
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