how do you clean a down spout drain? it is filled with silt?

Question

The down spouts come down from the gutters around the house and go directly into the ground. They seem to be clogged in the ground with mud, small rocks and silt...any ideas on how to clearn these? The hose is only about 5 inches in diameter. Thanks.

Answer 1

It woulds like the downspout dumps into drain tile which should then run to daylight some distance from the house. Years ago, this drain tile was made using clay pipe. It is now installed using 4" flexible black plastic pipe. The black plastic pipe may be solid (preferred) or perforated. In any case, if the drain tile is blocked, it may be necessary to dig it up and replace it. Clay pipe is easily cracked and collapses, and since there are a lot of joints, they tend to fill up with tree roots. Perforated plastic drain tile also tends to fill up with tree roots. Any type of drain tile can become plugged with leaves and debris washed in from the gutters.

Make sure the problem is not in the downspouts themselves before you start digging. If you install new drain tile, use 4" solid black flexible drain tile. It is cheap and is available at all home centers and lumber companies. Make sure that you put a strainer in the downspout where the gutter empties into it. This will prevent leaves and debris from plugging up your system again.

Good luck with your repair.

Answer 2

TRY TO LOSEN THE BLOCKAGE WITH A POLE, AND THEN PUT THE GARDEN HOSE DOWN THERE AND FLUSH IT OUT UNTIL IT RUNS FREE. GOOD LUCK.
[Or, call a gutter cleaner, and pay him to do the same thing.]
You need to dig to the bottom of the spout, and re-lay a drainage area of rocks for the water to drain into.