Spec Builders Put Cheap Black Tubes On Downspouts That Clog And Back Water Up At The Foundation, So He Buried A PVC Drain Himself And Saved Thousands Over Hiring A Landscaper

Those black corrugated tubes hanging off the bottom of so many downspouts look harmless. According to @HomeRapidRepair, they are the cheap choice of spec builders, and he calls them low quality. His warning is blunt: sooner or later they collect leaves and debris and back right up.

A white PVC pipe of the kind used for a buried downspout drain.

When that happens, the water has nowhere to go but the one place you never want it. He says water backing up next to your foundation will definitely cause thousands of dollars in damage.

“This Project Isn’t That Bad” And You Probably Own Most Of The Gear Already

His fix is an underground drain that carries roof water out into the yard and lets it spill out safely. He insists the job is not as big as it sounds. In his words, “You shouldn’t have been holding off for this long.”

The shopping list is short. You need a trusty shovel, PVC sewer drain pipe, a couple of fittings, a green bubbler, basic PVC cement and some drainage stone. He says you might already have some of the pipe laying around.

The first step is pulling off the black tube the builder installed. He gets rid of it entirely, since in his view it only clogs and stops the water from draining away.

Dig By Hand Because Something Important Is Buried Down There

He says he has seen people rent equipment for digging, but he does not recommend rushing in with a machine. Right in his own trench he points to the high-speed internet data cable for the house. His advice is to hand dig if possible and be careful not to hit anything.

He also has a neat trick for protecting your lawn. He cuts through the roots of the sod, flops it over to one side, and then flops it back after the pipe is buried so the yard heals quickly.

Good general advice on top of his: in the United States, calling 811 a few days before any dig gets utility lines marked for free.

Eight Feet Away, Pitched Downhill, And The Trick That Lets You Mow Right Over It

Distance matters. He holds up a 10-foot section of sewer drain pipe to give a sense of length and says the discharge should be at least 8 feet from the house. Further is better, but 8 feet is his minimum, and extra pieces can be added to go as far as you want.

The pipe also has to slope. He says to pitch it away from the house at a minimum of 1 inch per foot of run. With a 4-inch level on the pipe, that means one side sits 4 inches down from level.

At the end sits the star of the show, the green bubbler, also called a pop-up drain dispenser. With even a small amount of water, the top pops up. Otherwise it stays flush with the ground, so you can mow right over it.

He says the height is crucial. The top of the bubbler should sit even with the soil level, with the grass a little bit above it. A bit of drainage stone under the pipe lets him raise it to just the right height, and the discharge end of the pipe runs deeper than the rest because of the bubbler topper.

“Purple Will Stain” And Other Warnings About Primer And Cement

Why dig the hole so deep? He jokes that people might ask whether he dug it all the way to China, but he says drainage stone goes in first so water can soak away. The green pipe joins up with PVC primer and PVC cement, just like regular plumbing pipe.

He walks through the order. Prime the fitting and the pipe, and do both ends of each fitting while you are holding it. Primer is purple and will stain, so be careful what you get it on. If it lands on house siding, he says he is not aware of any remedy to remove primer stains.

Then comes the cement, which he describes as pretty toxic. He says to use it in a fresh area only. Give the pipe a little twist, hold it about 10 seconds or longer, and he says the connection will be permanent.

One piece he leaves unglued is the top of the bubbler. That way, if he ever has to clean or service it, it simply lifts off.

The Little Gap, The Filter, And Why He Dug Deeper Than Planned

At the gutter end, he fits a receiver piece for the downspout and says he is fine with a small gap there, because it helps keep things from clogging. If you want a strainer or grate, he says those exist, and he mentions a downspout filter that screens out leaves and tree debris. He likes it because it works on autopilot, with nothing to check once it is installed.

An elbow glues on to connect to the gutter. For the last piece, he had a spare length of sewer pipe and cut it to fit. The pipe had a date stamp on it, and he laughs that cutting at the 26 marking did the trick.

His final move was to dig down deeper than the length of the downspout, lower the pipe in, and lift it into position. He says it is nice to work outside, where you can be super sloppy compared with indoor plumbing jobs. He also says the primer and cement are the only brand he has ever used and notes it is not sponsored content.

Backfill, Test, And Pocket The Savings

Then comes what he calls the fun part. He backfills around the new pipe, supporting it well and packing the dirt in tightly so it will not settle. A layer of landscape fabric goes in, and the sod gets flopped back just as he hoped.

A little water tests the job. When it works, he tells viewers they did it themselves and probably saved thousands of dollars over hiring a landscaper, with roof and gutter runoff now carried away from the house and the foundation.

What To Take Away Before You Pick Up A Shovel

Check where the water lands now. If it dumps next to the foundation, fix it before the next big rain.
Aim for at least 8 feet of distance and a slope of 1 inch per foot.
Hand dig near buried lines and call 811 first.
Keep primer off siding, and use cement in fresh air.
Leave the bubbler top unglued so you can service it later.

It is a weekend job with a payoff that shows up every time it rains. For a fraction of what a crew would charge, your foundation stays dry and your mower keeps on rolling.

Willow and Hearth