Skip to Content

How to Divert Downspout Water (With or Without an Extension)

How to Divert Downspout Water (With or Without an Extension)

Share this post:

This post may contain affiliate links. If you click one of these links and make a purchase, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. In addition, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

You know that you need to prevent water from pooling near your home. Water that pools near the foundation of your house can cause damage.

It’s not good for water to pool on the roof either. You want your gutters to direct water toward a downspout.

The downspout then needs to direct the water toward a safe spot. You want the water to go toward a drain or an area where the water won’t harm anything.

How can you divert downspout water to protect your home? If your downspout water is pooling somewhere that’s not convenient, what can be done?

Keep reading to learn about the best ways to divert downspout water. Once you know what to do, it’ll be easy to take action and protect your home.

What Are Downspout Diverters?

Using a downspout diverter will be the most practical way to divert water. You can make the water flow away from your home by installing one of these diverters.

The term “diverter” isn’t often what’s used when these products are being sold online. Instead, you’ll be buying what is called a downspout extension.

Essentially, this is an extension that can be connected directly to the downspout. It’ll extend the downspout and make the water flow further away from your home than it currently does.

You can direct the water in whatever direction you need it to go. In some cases, you might need the water to go quite far.

It’s not too difficult to extend the downspout further. You can use the extension and then install more aluminum or vinyl pieces as necessary.

The goal is to direct the water toward a drain or a spot where the water won’t damage your home. It’s common for people to direct rainwater toward ditches or garden areas.

How Does a Downspout Diverter Work?

A downspout diverter works by attaching directly to your downspout. It’s essentially just an extension that helps the water to flow in the right direction.

Without a downspout extension, the water might simply pool directly underneath your home. If the water comes down on a flat surface, it’s going to pool instead of traveling away from your home.

Sometimes people design their driveways and landscapes to slope so that water can be directed away from the house. This isn’t always the case, though.

A downspout extension can make the water travel further away from the house. You can direct water away from the foundation of your home so it won’t cause damage.

The water should be directed toward a storm drain or a garden area. It’s much easier to keep things safe when you use one of these extensions.

Buying what you need won’t be difficult. You can purchase extensions for your downspout by going to your local hardware store.

How to Divert Water Without Gutters

What if you don’t have gutters on your home? If you don’t have gutters, can you still divert water away from your house?

There are a few options that you can consider that will get the job done. Note that many of these ideas are less practical than simply installing gutters.

Site Grading

Site grading is one of the best ways to divert water when you don’t want to use traditional gutters. However, it’s not a practical idea for most people.

This involves changing the landscape and engineering things so that the soil elevation will cause water to move away from the house. Basically, you’re making a slope that directs water toward gardens or drains.

You’ll need to have a 5% slope to make things work properly. This is something you can look into if you have the cash to make the necessary changes to your landscape.

Build a Dry Well

Building a dry well is another way to keep water away from the foundation of your home. This involves building an underground structure that allows you to get rid of rainwater safely.

When the ground near your house has bad drainage, this idea is going to be appealing. It would be easier to direct the water toward the dry well if you have gutters installed on your home, though.

Dig Ditches

Ditches can help you safely get rid of water near your home, too. A man-made ditch can be created to prevent water from pooling in certain spots.

You should ensure that the ditch is sloped and you’ll want to have vegetation to soak up the water. Often, people will plant bamboo in the ditches to help with the water.

Try Installing a Sump Pump

A sump pump can work to get rid of water that accumulates around your home. This involves digging a pit in the lowest level of your home.

Typically, you’ll dig the pit in your basement or in a crawlspace area. The sump pump is then installed and it works to divert water toward storm drains.

The sump pump can also divert water toward a dry well if you happened to utilize that idea. Overall, sump pumps can be very useful for protecting your home from water damage.

Final Thoughts

Now you know that you can divert water away from your downspout rather easily. Simply install a downspout extension and direct the water toward the right spot.

It’s generally best to direct water toward garden beds, storm drains, dry wells, ditches, and other such areas. You don’t want the water to pool near the foundation of your home.

Installing a downspout extension is rather simple. You can buy the extension from a local hardware store and you won’t have to spend much money at all to get what you need.

If you don’t have gutters, you can try to protect your home in other ways. It’s common for people to dig ditches to direct water away from their houses.

You could try site grading to ensure that the landscape slopes enough to make water move away from the house. This isn’t always the easiest thing to accomplish, though.

Digging a dry well could help and so could installing a sump pump. You have several things that you can look into if you don’t have gutters.

Installing gutters on your home won’t be difficult, though. You can protect your home by installing gutters and ensuring that the downspout properly directs water away from the house.

Share this post: