Exterior Renovation Services
Eavestroughs collect roof runoff; downspouts carry that water to the ground. How water is discharged at the downspout determines whether it drains safely away from your foundation or creates moisture problems.
The basic requirement is that water must be discharged at least 1.5-2 metres from the foundation wall and directed away from the house. A downspout terminating at the foundation releases the entire roof's water volume directly against the wall — exactly what eavestroughs are designed to prevent.
Planning Your Project
Splash pads at downspout terminations prevent soil erosion under the discharge point. Without a splash pad, the concentrated discharge quickly erodes a depression that can direct water toward the foundation.
Flexible extensions allow downspouts to discharge further from the building, routing water to appropriate drainage paths or away from specific hazards. They're simple and inexpensive.
Working With D&D Exterior Finishing
Underground connections carry downspout water to storm sewers or drainage swales through buried pipe. They provide the cleanest solution but require maintenance — the connection at the downspout base and the pipe outlet must remain clear.
Disconnection of downspouts from municipal storm sewers is required in some Waterloo Region municipalities as part of I/I (Inflow and Infiltration) reduction programs. Disconnected downspouts must discharge to the surface with appropriate grading.
Grade at the foundation perimeter is the ultimate determinant of drainage. Even well-managed downspouts can't compensate for negative grade against the foundation — grade sloping toward the house directs surface runoff against the wall.