Downspout Drainage: Protect YOUR Foundation from Roof Runoff

A standard roof collects thousands of gallons of water during a heavy rainstorm. All of that water is funneled into the gutters and pushed out through the downspouts in massive, concentrated bursts. If that water is left to dump directly next to a house, it will eventually cause major structural and landscape damage. Underground downspout drainage safely captures this roof runoff and routes it completely away from the property. 

 Downspout drainage is an underground piping system that connects near the base of a home's exterior gutter downspouts.

Instead of letting water pool against the foundation walls, wash out garden beds, or freeze across walkways, the system captures the water at the source. It then relies on gravity to carry that bulk water through a buried pipe, discharging it at a safe distance, typically at a lower elevation in the yard, a street curb, or an underground detention system.

 Underground downspout drainage operates on a simple principle: capture the water at the source and use gravity to move it to a safe location.

• Capture: As rainwater exits the gutter's downspout, it is immediately directed into a subterranean pipe system rather than spilling out onto the ground next to the foundation.
• Routing: A continuous underground pipe carries the concentrated volume of water away from the home. The trench and pipe are installed with a precise downhill pitch, ensuring the water flows quickly and naturally without the need for pumps.
• Discharge: The water travels to a designated safe zone, such as a lower point in the yard, a street curb, or an underground detention pit, where it can be safely released or naturally absorbed back into the earth without washing out the property.

 An underground downspout system is highly recommended if a property is experiencing any of these common roof runoff issues:

• Basement or Crawlspace Leaks: Water pools exactly where the gutters empty, eventually seeping through the porous brick or concrete of the foundation.
• Flooded Garden Beds: The mulch, topsoil, and expensive plants around the foundation get washed away every time it rains.
• Ugly Trip Hazards: Black plastic accordion extensions snake across sidewalks or lawns, getting crushed by lawnmowers or tripped over by guests.
• Dangerous Ice Patches: In the winter, roof water discharging across a driveway or walkway freezes into sheets of black ice.

At Go Away Drains we refuse to directly connect your downspouts to an underground pipe, and we never use flimsy plastic black corrugated piping that easily crushes and clogs.

Instead, we protect your system using the Catch Basin & Downspout Defender method.

• The Downspout Defender: We install a heavy-duty catch basin in the ground directly beneath your aluminum downspout. We top that basin with a specialized, angled "Downspout Defender" grate.
• Self-Cleaning Design: The water drops out of the downspout, hits the angled grate, and falls safely into the basin. The leaves, pine needles, and shingle grit slide right off the angled top and onto the ground. The debris stays above ground where it can be swept away, keeping your underground pipes perfectly clear.
• Premium Routing: Once the clean water enters the basin, we route it away from your home using smooth-interior, 4" PVC pipe. This pipe ensures maximum water velocity and reduces clogging  risk.
• Safe Discharge: We set the PVC pipe with a precise and measured pitch, allowing the water to flow freely to a safe discharge point, such as a pop-up emitter in the lawn or a high-capacity Flo-Well.

 Pricing depends on how many downspouts need to be buried, the length of the underground routing required to reach a safe discharge point, and the final discharge method.

For a professionally installed Go Away Drains downspout system, we utilize heavy-duty catch basins, angled Downspout Defender grates, and  4" PVC pipe/ Most of our clients typically invest between $35 and $60 per linear foot, plus the flat-rate cost of the basins and the specific discharge component.

Because guessing leads to hidden costs, we offer our comprehensive $65 Drainage Evaluation. We will come to your property, map the exact routing from your gutters to the discharge zone, calculate the materials, and hand you a fixed, line-by-line estimate. You’ll know exactly what the permanent solution will cost, with zero surprises.

Learn about Catch Basins on the next page.