Clean Clogged Gutter Downspout

Late autumn or early winter or whenever the trees are bare is the right time to clean out your gutters.

Clean clogged gutter downspout.

If you see water backing up you have a clog. Turn on a garden hose to its most powerful setting and run water through the drain pipe. If you see water flowing over the edges of your gutters and not through your downspouts your downspouts are most likely clogged with a small object or leaves and twigs. Remove the downspout from a connecting drain place a garden hose inside the downspout and turn the water on.

After the gutters are clean and the water used for flushing isn t draining quickly check the downspout for clogs and any lodged debris. Check to see if water and debris come out the other end of the pipe. The downspout is the pipe that runs down the building from the gutter to the underground downpipe. Gutters and downspouts can get clogged with leaves and debris that hinder the proper operation of the system so keeping them clean and flowing freely is essential.

Feed the hose up the downspout from the ground. Clean the bottom downspout opening remove the downspout extension if present to expose the bottom opening. Disconnect the gutter downspout from where it connects to the drain pipe. Start by cleaning the bottom downspout opening.

If you wait until spring or summer the downspouts elbows and drop outlets are usually already clogged. To unclog a gutter downspout try your easiest options first. Gutter clogging is especially likely at certain times of the year such as in the spring when trees are casting seeds and in the autumn when leaves are falling. Although you can t see into these drains cleaning them is similar to a process used to clear debris from the side gutter pipes on your house.

Many people wait until the spring but it s much better to clean out the leaves prior to all the winter snow melt and spring rains. Otherwise trying to remove the clog may simply push it further down. Pull the underground drain which is often a black. This is especially important if the downspout is connected to an underground drain.

Remove the guard at the other end of the drain pipe if there is one. Remove the downspout from the pipe. Expose the bottom downspout opening divert the flow away from any landscape drain and then use a garden trowel to reach up into the opening and remove any clogged leaves and debris that could have accumulated there. If the amount of water coming out is less than what is going in there is a blockage.