Buried Downspout Drainage in Kansas City

How much water one downspout carries

A roof collects rain over its whole area and delivers it through a handful of downspouts. Each one is carrying the water from a large section of roof, and in a heavy Kansas City thunderstorm that adds up to a steady stream. A splash block or a short extension drops that stream a foot or two from the wall, on soil that usually slopes back toward the house. It is the single most common reason a basement corner gets wet, and the cheapest to put right.

What a buried line is

Each downspout connects to solid, smooth-walled pipe that runs underground on a steady fall. Solid, not perforated: this water has already been collected, and the goal is to carry it away, not leak it back into the soil next to the foundation. Lines from several downspouts can join into one main line. At the other end the water either daylights onto a downhill slope, rises through a pop-up emitter that sits flush in the lawn and opens only when water is flowing, or goes into a dry well.

Details that decide whether it lasts

A cleanout near each downspout so leaves can be flushed out. Enough fall that the line drains empty after every storm, so it does not hold water to freeze in January. Routing that keeps clear of tree roots and the sprinkler lines common in Leawood and south Overland Park. An outlet that stays on your property and does not aim water at a neighbour's lot.

Sump pump discharge goes the same way

Where a basement has a sump pump, its discharge line can often tie into the same buried system, so the water it removes is not dumped next to the foundation for the pump to lift again. That pairs this job with interior drain tile and basement leak repair, and with regrading where the ground around the downspouts has settled.

How long does it take? Usually a day for a typical house with four to six downspouts, longer where lines have to cross a driveway or go around mature trees.

Frequently asked questions