Now that the weather is starting to get nicer, you might want to begin new gutter projects. All American Gutter Protection has put together this guide to help you effectively reroute your downspouts. Gutter downspouts are vital to prevent water pooling and water damage to your home’s foundation. Downspouts direct water flow away from your home or into a rainwater collection system to prevent water build up. Rerouting a downspout might be necessary due to problems of water pooling, foundation leaking or landscape changes.
How to reroute a downspout: five steps
To reroute a gutter system, you’ll need a few tools such as a measuring tape, new downspout, downspout brackets, elbow joints, hacksaw (or another tool to cut metal), drill and screws for the downspout. If you feel uneasy about doing this project on your own, many gutter professionals like All American Gutter Protection can help assist you in rerouting your downspout.
To effectively reroute, you want to:
- Remove the current downspout system from your system. Depending on how your system is put together, you start by unscrewing and removing the loose parts from the gutter outlet.
- After removing, new measurements are needed for installing the new system. Your measurements should include the length from the gutter outlet to the ground and the length of distance your downspout will be from the home. After you find these lengths you will be able to determine the lengths of pieces needed for your downspouts and the number of elbow joints needed.
- Now that you have secured the measurements, you can begin cutting the downspouts with the hacksaw as needed. After you have the correct pieces, connect the elbow joints at the very top near the gutter outlet and the very bottom to direct rainwater away from your home.
- Finally, you can begin to install your new downspouts by aligning the elbow joints with the gutter outlet. Evenly space out and connect the downspout brackets to your home to ensure they are snug and hold the downspout in place.
- Test your downspouts ensuring that they work correctly. You can do this by taking a hose into your gutters and observing the water flow from the gutter eaves and then into the downspout. Watch for any leaks or blockages so you can adjust or fix them as necessary.
Conclusion
Rerouting your downspout can be a relatively easy task if you take the right steps to ensure it’s properly done. If you feel hesitant or unsure of it even after reading this article, feel free to contact All American Gutter Protection for any of your gutter home needs. Downspouts are vital to protecting your homes foundation and overall integrity, so do not put off rerouting your downspouts if it’s something your home desperately needs.
