Tulsa Downspout Drainage

What you are booking

Downspout drainage is about roof water only. It takes what comes off the gutters and carries it away from the house to a place it can be let out.

It is not a French drain. A downspout line is a solid pipe that carries roof water. A French drain is a perforated pipe in gravel that collects water from the ground. If water stands in the yard even when the downspouts are handled, see yard drainage. If it collects against the walls, see foundation drains.

How far is far enough

OSU Extension has a fact sheet on disconnecting downspouts. Its guidance:

• From the house. Let downspouts drain at least 6 feet from basement walls and at least 2 feet from a crawl space, away from the foundation.
• From the neighbors. Point them away from the house next door too.
• Roof per downspout. No more than 1,000 square feet of roof per downspout.
• Where it lands. The area that takes the water should be at least 10 percent of the roof area draining to it, with 10 feet before the next hard surface.
• Slope. That area should slope 1 to 5 percent.
• Ponding. Water should not pond there more than 48 hours.

OSU also notes that Tulsa homes commonly send their downspouts onto driveways, sidewalks or streets. That moves the water off the lawn but straight onto pavement.

The options

• Extension. A longer pipe on the end of the downspout to get the water out past the distances above. Simple, and it sits on top of the ground.
• Underground line to a pop-up emitter. A buried solid pipe carries the water out into the yard. A pop-up cap at the end opens when water pushes up, then closes.
• Tie-in to a yard French drain. If a yard drain is going in anyway, a downspout can feed into it. See yard drainage.
• Dry well. A buried pit that holds the water and lets it soak into the ground.

Rain barrels and rain gardens are other ways to handle roof water. A downspout line moves the water away from the house instead.

When it is really a yard drain problem

Moving the downspouts fixes water that comes off the roof. It does not fix water that runs across the yard from somewhere else or sits in a low spot on its own. If the yard stays wet after the downspouts are dealt with, a yard French drain is the next thing to look at.

Pricing

Downspout lines are not in the cost calculator. They are quoted after inspection, once we see how many downspouts there are and where each one can let out.