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Downspouts protect your home from the dangers of excess waters like water damage and outdoor floods. They are vertical pipes used for directing the rainwater into the drains when it rains. They are of varying shapes like rectangular, square, and round. A plumber can install downspouts in flats or multi-story buildings to drain water into the underground drain pipes. Although plumbing fixtures and pipes are underground or indoors, the downspouts are installed outside and may be problematic to the foundation of your building or yard.
If you don’t have downspouts in your Fernandina, FL home, the water lands close to your home’s perimeter or its foundation, causing multiple problems that you’d have prevented by enlisting the services of a certified and licensed plumbing professional. Below are some of the downspout problems that might need the attention of a plumbing expert.
Clogged Downspouts
Blocked or clogged downspout is a common issue in many homes. This makes the rainwater overflow over the gutters, pouring out and down, draining into the soil under and around the foundation. The clog is because of the dirt and debris inside the system. Leaves, animal droppings, roofing granules, twigs, and stones are the leading causes of clogged downspouts. Large particles may block or clog the downspouts upon entering the pipes, but smaller particles accumulate first before forming a noticeable blockage.
If you don’t maintain the downspouts regularly with the help of a licensed plumber, it will be a question of when and not if it happens. The clog prevents water from the gutters from entering into the drainage system. What are the signs of a clogged downspout? Below are the ways of telling whether your downspouts are clogged:
Leaks Around the Seams
Leaking near the seams is the first sign of a clogged downspout. If the downspouts are blocked, the rainwater will not pass through the drains and leak at the seams. In addition, water stuck within the downspouts causes disconnection around the seams, causing a leakage. A plumbing professional will fix the seams after unclogging or unblocking the rectangular, round, or square downspout. They might also recommend replacing the downspouts and giving a list of renowned suppliers to prevent seam leakage issues and protect your house’s wooden structures.
Weak Runoffs
The next indicator of a blockage within your downspouts is weak runoff. Have you noticed a minor trickle in your downspouts during moderate rains? This is a good sign of an obstruction within the system that needs the urgent attention of a plumber to clear it out. The plumbing professional will use state-of-the-art knowledge, skills, and tools to identify or pinpoint where the blockage is and remove the objects or dirt causing the obstruction.
Overflowing Gutters
Does the overflowing water pass over your downspouts and not through them? That is a sign that there is a blockage. The water might overflow the entire gutter if the clog is considerably larger. Enlisting the services of a plumber to fix the issue after it rains is vital in protecting your home’s foundation and basement from water damage.
If the overflowing gutter problem is left unaddressed by cleaning the downspout to remove any debris, the wood that supports the gutters will rot. Consequently, you’ll spend more paying for installation and replacements. The plumbing experts may also recommend replacing the shingles, soffits, and shingles.
Leaking Gutter Outlet
The last sign to the lookout is leaks from your home’s gutter outlets, the point where the gutter and the downspouts meet. A skilled plumbing expert will install the outlet by creating a hole in the gutter to ensure the system performs at its peak. Hence, if you spot a leakage on the gutter outlet, it means without a doubt that your downspout has a blockage that requires cleaning. The plumber clears the blockage and suggests the maintenance steps to follow.
Broken or Disconnected Downspouts
Whenever the downspouts are damaged or stressed, you’ll notice the water dripping down the foundation. Wet foundations are prone to causing severe damage to the basement and sweating on the walls. But what would cause the downspouts to break? Aluminum downspouts dent, chip, curl or crack as days progress. Downspouts made from galvanized steel are susceptible to cracking or rusting, causing them to leak to the ground. You’d most likely notice leakage issues when it rains, indicating that you need to replace them in earnest.
Enlisting the services of a professional plumber to repair the downspouts could save you from replacing the downspouts and other issues like damages to your home’s foundation.
Insufficiently Sized Downspout
Do your home’s downspouts have a sufficient size? The downspouts installed at your home by a plumber should have the appropriate size. This ensures that they can handle any amount of rainwater flowing from your Fernandina, FL home’s gutters. If your house has small downspouts, you are likely to have blockage issues because of the objects that have been washed from the roof. The water might also fill your basement because of leaking or overflowing water.
How long are the downspouts? The length matters, too, because short downspouts are inefficient at taking the water directly into the drains without leaking. Hence, enlist the services of a professional plumbing professional to install the underground downspouts that have pop-up units to direct the rainwater efficiently into the drains and away from the foundation of your home. They can also help you avoid soil erosion within your yard that raises soil moisture levels, a threat to your building.
A plumber can also recommend that in the subsequent construction, you protect the foundation by making it waterproof. The underground downspouts also help prevent the water from entering your basement. However, water may enter the basement through the windows or the cracks on the walls to cause a clog.
Instead of undergoing all these problems, why not hire a professional plumbing service like Bert Norman plumbing to install the gutters and regularly maintain them? Through regular maintenance, you can avoid replacements or, worse, damage to your home’s foundation that might prove costly.
Reliable Plumbers in Fernandina, FL
You should ensure that your gutter system comprising the gutters and downspouts is maintained and cleaned at least two times every year by a plumber from a reliable company like Bert Norman’s Plumbing. Our plumbing experts are adequately equipped and highly skilled to handle all your plumbing needs effectively and efficiently. Have you noticed any of the above signs on your downspouts? Call us at peach plumbing today for inspection, repairs, or replacements of your downspouts.