A gutter system is a quintessential part of any home. Without one, water and snowmelt that ran off the roof would pour over the sides of the house, dripping down the siding and collecting around the home’s foundation. Think of all the precipitation in Central Ohio; from heavy downpours to ice storms and heavy snowstorms, our yards and home siding would be a disaster without a gutter system.
Gutters and downspouts work together to drain water away from the home, but how exactly do downspouts work and do you have enough on your gutter system? Keep reading to learn if you need another downspout for your gutter system.
Main Functions of Downspouts
Downspouts are the part of your gutter system where the gutter ends and the system changes from horizontal to vertical. After water flows through the gutters it descends to a drop outlet that points water to the downspout. Homes often have multiple downspouts. They hang vertically near the roofline and curve horizontally, sometimes with an elbow (a bent pipe) to direct the drainage away from the home’s foundation. Some downspouts have splash blocks underneath to aid in diverting water even further.
To Protect the Foundation
Downspouts function to ensure water collected inside the gutter reaches the ground. Without downspouts, your gutter system would allow water to flow over the sides, eventually landing directly under the gutter system. And what’s directly under the gutter system? The home’s foundation. The foundation is what your home was built on and needs to be protected to prevent structural issues. Cracks in the foundation or basement flooding can result in costly repairs to fix structural damage. Downspouts help protect the entire home from drainage issues, ultimately protecting the foundation to divert water away rather than allowing it to collect around the foundation.
To Prevent Soil Erosion
Downspouts help prevent soil erosion because they direct rainwater or snowmelt to drain away from the home’s foundation, often pointing the water down a slope or on a splash block that helps guide the water further away. Erosion occurs when soil layers are washed away by water, ultimately harming ecosystems. Therefore, downspouts are crucial to prevent soil erosion, helping water to flow away rather than collect in the same spot on the ground.
To Protect Your Landscaping
You work hard to protect your landscaping by mowing the grass weekly, sprinkling grass seed, spraying weed control, and planting shrubs and flowers to add curb appeal. Downspouts protect your landscaping by diverting water from the home, preventing overwatering plants and shrubs near the foundation, and washing away grass seed or weed killer.
How to Maintain Downspouts
Knowing the functions of downspouts and how crucial they are to the entire gutter system, wouldn’t you do everything you could to maintain them? Gutter maintenance is key to a gutter system working optimally and preventing gutter system issues like clogged gutters and overflowing gutters. Maintain your downspouts by doing the following:
- Remove debris from gutters and downspouts.
- Periodically check that your downspouts are secure; they shouldn’t be loose or shift.
- Consider adding more downspouts to prevent overflow or pressure that breaks the downspout.
How Many Downspouts Does a Gutter System Need?
How many downspouts does a gutter system need? That depends on your roof size, the length of the gutter, and the size of the downspout. As a general rule of thumb, there should be one downspout per 40’ span of gutter to allow for proper drainage. However, the size of your downspouts matters; too little of a downspout wouldn’t be enough and could cause the gutter to collapse.
If your gutter system has 2”x3” downspouts installed, you need more. These smaller downspouts don’t allow much water to flow through, potentially causing water to overflow or the downspout to shift or collapse from too much pressure. Heavy rains and rapid snowmelt are common in Central Ohio, so homes need larger and enough downspouts to handle heavy water.
Take the Guess Work Out and Install K-Guard®
Knowing how many downspouts your gutter system needs can be challenging if you have small downspouts or an older gutter system. Adding downspouts to an existing gutter system isn’t easy or cost-effective. Ditch installing additional downspouts to your existing gutter system and opt for installing K-Guard® Gutters. It’s a complete system with multiple components working together to collect and drain water away from the home, complete with a curved hood that keeps all debris out of the gutters and downspouts. That means no more seasonal gutter maintenance, giving you precious time back you’d be spending to clean traditional half-round gutters.
K-Guard® Gutters are best for Ohio homes for many reasons: they last much longer than other gutter systems (for the life of the home!), are so durable that they withstand all severe weather, including snowstorms and ice storms, add curb appeal with their beautiful and seamless appearance, and come with multiple transferable life warranties.
Unlike other gutter systems, K-Guard® Gutter Guards are made from heavy-duty aluminum that will never dent, chip, sag, or tear away from the home, regardless of the severity of the weather. Our gutters are seamless, with no bolts and screws tying each piece together, eliminating leaky gutters. Our gutter product is a complete system with multiple components that work together to prevent clogs and keep water moving freely through the system quickly. Plus, our downspouts are oversized to ensure they drain large amounts of water from a roof.
Another great advantage to installing K-Guard® is that it lasts a lifetime, with a transferable lifetime warranty that protects your investment. We promise our gutter guards will never fade, chip, clog, or require gutter repair or cleaning, and our installation will never void your roof’s warranty. We’ll ensure the pitch and downspout placements are correct and there are enough downspouts, avoiding common gutter installation mistakes.
Contact our team today if you’re ready to switch to the K-Guard® System. We’re happy to schedule a free estimate, provide a detailed analysis of your current gutter system, and a quote for installing our K-Guard® Gutters!