What are some types of drain spouts, downspouts or gutter downspouts? Drain spouts are vertical components of a building’s rainwater drainage. Several options are available, although some may require a bit of hunting to obtain.
Traditional drain spout options, materials, sizes, and shapes:
Materials:
Eavestroughs and drain spouts or downspouts are components of a building’s rainwater drainage system.
- They are typically made of rust-proof and weather-resistant materials: galvanized steel, aluminium, copper, bronze, brass, vinyl, or plastic.
- Brass and copper drainage systems look fantastic in their original finish.
- Vinyl, plastic and metal systems are manufactured in many colours to match the colours of vinyl siding, windows, roofing or popular exterior paint colours.
- Drain spouts are often made of corrugated materials.
Sizes:
- They are typically 2×3 to 3×4” rectangular. Round drain spouts come in 3 to 4” diameter. Eavestroughs (gutters) are mostly 5 to 6” wide. Larger 7 or 8” wide gutters are used for larger buildings.
Shapes:
- Also known as downspouts, they are mostly rectangular. A round shape was commonly used years ago but can still be found.
- Extenders allow rainwater diverting between landscaping (shrubs or plants) close to the drain spout.
Gutter guards are crucial to today’s busy lifestyle.
- Most eavestroughs (gutters) now have gutter guards to lessen the need to clean leaves out of the eavestrough.
- Remember that this product isn’t a failsafe, especially if a section has dislodged itself.
- Check the gutter guards regularly to ensure the system is working properly.
Contemporary types of drain spouts:
Pop-up emitters:
- Avoid areas of standing water or winter ice hazards by burying a flexible drain spout and releasing the rainwater at the place of your choice with a pop-up emitter.
- Designed for solving standing water issues near an existing drain spout.
- Hydrostatic pressure causes the emitter’s lid to open and disperse the water in its immediate area, after which the lid remains closed.
Internally located drain spouts:
- A high-end-looking architecture style uses wall cavities to hide drain spouts to give a clean unobstructed look to the exterior of the building.
Decorative types of drain spouts:
Rain chains:
- A whimsical downspout can look like a metal chain (called a rain chain) or cups that fill and tip when they fill up.
- Not as efficient as regular drain spouts, but they warm some people’s hearts.
- Often installed on smaller homes, cottages or outbuildings.
Rain barrels:
- More than decorative, rain barrels are large barrel-type receptacles that collect rainwater via the downspout, primarily for gardening.
- Rain barrels can look fairly high-tech. Plastic barrels with spigots and systems to hook up hoses for easy use.
- Always keep the barrel air-tight so mosquitoes cannot reproduce in the standing water.
Cisterns:
- You may know of an older rural property with a basement cistern, a large concrete container where rainwater was diverted.
- Cisterns were/are emergency water sources if the property’s only water source, a well, experienced a dry period.
How many drain spouts are needed to ensure proper rainwater drainage?
We suggest every 25-40′ of eavestrough should introduce a drain spout.
Have you noticed your eavestroughs spilling over with rainwater during a heavy rainfall?
- Check to ensure the eavestroughs and downspouts aren’t clogged, as this indicates they are or the number of downspouts can’t handle the amount of rainfall.
- If they are free of obstructions, this is the time to call a roofing contractor to look at whether another drain spout is required.
- Roofing companies will ascertain whether there are enough drain spouts for a specific roof size.
- An A-Frame-style roof will shed water more forcefully than a roof with numerous angled planes.
Drain spouts, eavestroughs, soffits, and fascia are crucial aspects of your home’s structural system. Together, they protect your home (and your investment). Be aware of their serviceability.
Forest City Roofing installs your roof’s drainage system and can advise whether your home needs more or larger drain spouts.
If you live in London, ON or the surrounding area, call (519) 659 6937 or reach us online.
