We move roof water away from foundations

Downspouts decide where roof water lands

A gutter only collects water. The downspout decides where that water ends up. On a Florida roof in a summer storm, that is a lot of water in a short time. If the outlet dumps at the corner of the house, the water soaks the ground right against the slab. Do that most summer afternoons and the soil along the edge of the house starts to wash out and settle.

So the job starts on the ground. We look at where each downspout drains now and where water sits in the yard after rain. Stain lines on the stucco or a washed-out flower bed show us where the trouble is. Then we match each downspout to the roof area above it. A big roof valley or a long stretch of gutter gets a four by five instead of a three by four.

The last piece is where the water goes after it leaves the downspout. Sometimes turning the outlet away from the house and onto open lawn is enough. Other times the yard is flat, or the downspout sits over a patio or a walkway. Then the water goes into a buried pipe that ends at a pop up emitter out in the yard. You see that plan on the free estimate before anyone digs a trench.

• Downspout placement checked against yard slope
• Three by four or four by five downspouts
• Round downspouts for half round gutters
• Downspout adapters for underground drain lines
• Pop up emitters and catch basins

Summer storms put water against your slab

A lot of the houses around Oldsmar and Clearwater are concrete block and stucco on a slab poured over sandy ground. Sand drains fast, which sounds like good news. The trouble is that it also moves. When a downspout empties in the same spot every storm, the water carries sand out from under the slab edge. Over a few rainy seasons you get a gap under the concrete, then a crack.

Stucco shows the damage early. Water that splashes back off the ground soaks the bottom of the wall. You get a dark band and mildew just above the dirt line. On older wood frame houses, the same splash rots the sill and the bottom of the siding. Moving the water a few steps from the wall stops the splash. That is a much smaller job than repairing rot or stucco.

Hurricane season adds another problem. Tropical storms can dump heavy rain for hours. A downspout sized for a normal storm backs up, and the gutter spills over at the corners. Strong wind can also pull a loose downspout off the wall. Once it falls, the gutter empties straight onto the slab edge. So we fasten each downspout firmly to the wall and give it a shake before we leave.

Underground drains move water off flat lots

Plenty of yards around Oldsmar are close to flat, so water has nowhere obvious to go. That is when an underground drain makes sense. A downspout adapter joins the downspout to a buried pipe. The pipe runs downhill the whole way to a pop up emitter out in the lawn. When it rains, the lid lifts and water spreads over the grass. When the rain stops, the lid drops back down.

A buried drain that is put in badly fails where nobody can see it. The usual cause is a pipe laid without enough slope. Water sits in the low spot, sand and shingle grit settle out, and the line slowly fills in. Then water backs up and pours out of the downspout seams in every storm. By then the water is soaking the ground right where you did not want it.

The layout gets as much attention as the pipe itself. We keep each run short and direct, with as few sharp turns as the yard allows. Sharp turns are where leaves and grit get stuck. Where a low spot already holds water after rain, we can set a catch basin right there. That basin gathers the water and sends it down the same line. Standing water in the yard clears, and the downspout stops backing up.

Downspouts should drain well and look right

Standard downspouts are rectangular, and they match the K-style gutters on a lot of houses here. Half round gutters usually get round downspouts, and we install those as well. On a copper or half round system, the downspout is part of the look of the house. So we plan each run to sit in a corner or along the trim, instead of crossing the middle of a wall.

A rain chain replaces the downspout with a hanging chain of links or cups that water runs down. It suits a front entry or a back porch, where people see it up close. A chain does not move water away from the house on its own. The bottom needs a catch basin or a drain under it, or the splash lands against the slab again. In a hard summer storm a chain also spills more than a closed downspout does.

You can check a finished job yourself after the next heavy rain. Walk around the house while it is still coming down. Every downspout should sit tight to the wall, and the water should come out well away from the slab. The soil along the foundation should stay put instead of washing into the grass. Mike Riga wrote: "Nestor took it upon himself to help me out with the erosion by placing sand and mulch where it occurred."