Residential & Commercial
Residential downspouts come in 2” x 3” or 3” x 4”. Downspouts if properly maintained and kept clean, remain serviceable for many years. The most common reason downspouts are changed out is to upgrade the downspout size to reduce maintenance requirements and improve efficiency. Other reasons include:
- Rusted out components
- Ice split seams
- Damage
- Outlet location changes
- System design changes
- Color changes
- Extensions
The only thing worse than not having gutters on your home is to have gutters that collect all of the water off the roof and direct it to one spot at the foundation. The water should be discharged from the downspout and directed three to four feet away from the foundation, provided that is far enough to keep the water from flowing back to the foundation. This can be done using downspout extensions, concrete splash blocks (not plastic), underground piping as well as positively sloped concrete surfaces or appropriate landscaping solutions.
Maintenance:
Maintenance is all about keeping the gutters and downspouts clean. We generally recommend that gutter systems be cleaned once or more a year, depending on conditions. Plugged up gutter systems allow water to get behind the gutter causing damage to the exterior finishes of the structure. Interior damage can occur in the winter when plugged up gutters cause ice dams. Ice dams can weigh hundreds of pounds and, if not taken care of, can rip gutters off the structure. This is a serious problem on un-pitched gutter systems, and especially on those installed with the inferior spike and ferrule system.
The larger downspout drains approximately 1.5 times faster than the standard 2”x3” downspout, which drains 7.2 gallons of water per second. The larger 3” x 4” downspout will drain approximately 1,170 square feet of roof area. The 2” x 3” downspout will only drain about 770 square feet. A 33% difference could be the difference between costly repairs in the future. The larger downspouts are almost self-cleaning because they do not as easily clog up or freeze.
