Downspout and buried drain lines
A lot of the water around a foundation started on the roof. Here's how a buried line sends it somewhere harmless.
With about 64 inches of rain a year in Hattiesburg, a roof sheds a lot of water, and every downspout concentrates it on one small patch of ground. When that patch is right next to the slab or a crawl space wall, the soil stays soaked, mulch floats away and water finds a way into the garage or under the floor. A buried drain line connects each downspout to solid pipe that carries the water across the yard or out to the street.
Why solid pipe and not perforated?
Roof water should travel in solid pipe. The goal is to move it away from the house, not leak it back into the soil a few feet from the foundation. Perforated pipe is for French drains, where you want to collect groundwater. Running downspouts into perforated pipe, or tying a downspout into a French drain, is one of the most common reasons these systems back up in a hard storm.
Where can the water go?
- Pop-up emitters that lift when water arrives and drop shut when it stops
- Curb outlets through to the street gutter, where allowed
- Daylight outlets on a downhill slope or into an existing swale
- Rain gardens or planted low spots that soak water in on your own lot
Signs a buried line has failed
- Water bubbling up around the downspout connection during storms
- Gutters spilling over even after they've been cleaned
- A soft, extra-green stripe of lawn following the pipe's route
- An emitter that never pops open
Pine straw, leaves and roots
The Pine Belt earns its name. Pine needles and oak leaves wash out of gutters, down the downspout and into the pipe, where they mat together, and tree roots find any joint that leaks. Gutter guards, a cleanout near each downspout and enough slope to keep water moving all help. If an older line is already buried, a camera inspection or jetting can show whether it can be cleared or should be replaced. Don't connect roof drains to a sewer cleanout; rainwater belongs in the storm system, not the sanitary sewer.
No two yards are priced the same. A contractor has to walk the lot, check the fall to an outlet and see what the soil is doing before giving a number, so we don't list prices here. Any figure offered over the phone without a visit is a rough guess at best.
Where we connect you with help
Common questions
How far from the house should downspout water come out?
Far enough that it can't run back toward the foundation. That depends on your slope, so ask the contractor to show you the outlet and where water goes from there.
Can I connect my downspouts to my French drain?
It's usually a bad idea. Roof water can overwhelm a French drain in a heavy storm. Most contractors run them as separate lines.
Related services
More background: Pine Belt drainage guide.
Back yard still squishy two days after the rain quit?
Call and a drainage contractor who works the Pine Belt will come see where the water collects and where it can safely go.