Placing Downspouts Underground

[LearningMustachian72]

Hi All,

I am aiming to dig trenches for 4 of my downspouts and run them to the back of my property.  I live in the north and want to ensure I run them below the frost line.  Has anyone else done this?  How difficult would you say it is and what were some lessons learned?

Thank you in advance!

[lthenderson]

I put two of mine underground just a few years ago when I was repouring my driveway. The rest of mine were already underground. It was a pretty easy process. I just dug about 40 feet of trench below frost line, shoveled some sand in the bottom to allow me to level out the pipe and then backfilled with gravel and in my case, poured concrete over about 30 feet of it. The remainder I covered with dirt and sod. If I were going to do an entire house worth, i.e. more than 40 feet of trench, I would definitely rent a trencher for a day to speed things up. But I really love having all my gutters empty to underground piping that drains into a ditch far away from my house. No wet spots near the foundation and no basement leaking issues. Also no worries about mowing around downspouts.

[LearningMustachian72]

Definitely, that is exactly what I am trying to accomplish...thank you for the information!

When you redid your driveway, did you put any sort of drain across it?  That is another project I am considering as my driveway slopes downward.

[Fishindude]

Open drain lines that have positive slope and don't hold water do not need to be buried below the frost line.
Water supply lines are installed below frost line.

Use a smooth pipe rather than corrugated, SDR 35 PVC would be a good choice.

[FiftyIsTheNewTwenty]

Mine go into a perforated drainage pipe which runs through the yard to drain that, then out to the neighborhood drainage ditch.  Works well but did clog up with leaves in a few years.  So I added a leaf strainer, where the downspout is open at the bottom and dumps into a box with a grate.  No problems since.

I agree about using smooth pipe vs. corrugated.

[lthenderson]

Definitely, that is exactly what I am trying to accomplish...thank you for the information!

When you redid your driveway, did you put any sort of drain across it?  That is another project I am considering as my driveway slopes downward.

My driveway has plenty of slope away from my house so drains are not necessary.