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Gutter Drainage Solutions: What Do You Do With Runoff?

When it rains, it pours, and when it rains on your roof, all that water has to go somewhere. Your gutters ensure that the runoff doesn’t just fall off the edge of your roof and end up seeping into your home’s foundation, but where does your runoff go? If you have gutters and drainpipes but haven’t taken adequate consideration for what happens to the runoff, you could inadvertently be contributing to erosion or defeating the purpose of getting the water to flow away from your home’s foundation.

Runoff causes erosion. What do you do with the runoff from your roof? Here are some options from our gutter installation company in Syracuse.

Do nothing (not recommended)

Have you ever looked at the ground below a roof that doesn’t have gutters? The rain pours off the edge of the roof and the drips fall straight down to the ground, creating a line where everything gets bombarded, destroying the landscaping and grass beneath the drip line and reducing everything to dirt. This, in turn, results in splashback that stains the side of your home. Doing nothing is also a recipe for unfortunate results when the grading of the ground of your house doesn’t succeed in diverting water away from the foundation.

Capture the runoff

Rainwater recapture solutions are growing in popularity. Left untreated, this is non-potable water (which means you shouldn’t drink it), but it can be used for outdoor uses such as watering your plants. However, more and more people are turning to rainwater collection and filtration systems that make it possible to use your rainwater for everyday use, even drinking. This can be a fun pursuit and a way to be environmentally friendly at the same time. Rainwater is soft water that plants love and usually has the right pH to maintain healthy soil.

Redirect the runoff

Just having a 12-inch section of gutter piping pointing away from your house may not be enough to redirect your runoff appropriately. While downspout extensions can help, it’s important to evaluate the amount of runoff, the slope or grade of the ground on your property, and the available drainage of your land in order to make sure that the rainwater your gutters divert off your roof doesn’t cause an erosion problem. Here are some common ways to redirect the runoff from your gutter drains.

  • Swales: A swale is kind of like a mini-culvert. It’s a wide shallow ditch that may be lined with grass or stones, and it helps water to flow toward a suitable outlet.
  • French Drains: A French drain is an underground water drainage device. Most landscaping companies can install them for you, and with a bit of work, you can even do it yourself.
  • Catch Basins: This is a box with a grate on top that sits directly below your downspout. Water enters the catch basin, flows through a tube, and exits at an appropriate location.
  • Splash Blocks and Downspout Extensions: For small amounts of runoff, these solutions may be perfectly adequate.
  • The Iron Horse Gutter Works drainage system: We can install a ditch and drain system for you that will divert water to the appropriate area of your property.

Please note that in Syracuse, you’re not allowed to direct your gutter runoff into the sewer.

We hope this article has been helpful to you. For gutter installation and maintenance in Syracuse, contact Iron Horse Gutter Works today.

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