Gutters can start to sag after years of use, including their downspouts that keep rainwater and melting snow draining away from your home. Without proper positioning, downspouts can have a major--and unpleasant--impact on your property. Whether you’re looking to replace your current drainage system, planning landscape renovations, or doing anything else requiring careful downspout placement, use this quick guide to get started.

How Can Improper Downspout Placement Impact Your Home & Landscape?

If the downspout does not direct water away from your property, it pools near your home. In addition to waterlogging any plants and shrubbery around your house that leaves them yellow and unsightly, it can create standing water issues that breed mosquitoes. Water can additionally leak into your home’s basement, resulting in wall cracks and mold formation, and seep into the foundation to cause further structural damage. A poorly-draining downspout can subsequently cost thousands in water damage and compromise the structural stability of your home.

Where Should You Consider Placing Your Downspout?

Start the downspout placement process by ensuring there’s one for every 20 to 30 linear feet of gutters. Both the gutters and the downspouts must be positioned with the roof’s pitch in mind to keep water flowing away from your home instead of backing up under roof shingles or causing standing water problems.

Consider your home’s layout, as the downspouts should not be placed near basement windows or crawlspaces to avoid leaks and floods. Grade the soil surrounding your home, so the downspouts allow water to flow freely instead of pooling around the foundation. If there are any pavers near the downspouts, they must be pitched away from any of the house’s walls so that water does not back up.

If you cannot position your downspouts to move them from your home’s foundation, use extensions so water exits at least four feet away. You may also want to install French drains, fill any low spots on your property, and install a sump pump in your basement that activates when it comes into contact with water. 

Ensure efficient drainage with gutter services from Advanced Seamless Inc. in West Salem, WI. Offering installation, maintenance, repair, and replacement services, this company specializes in seamless gutter systems that come in a variety of colors and finishes. Call (608) 786-2929 today for a free quote or visit the company that’s served the region since 1989 online.