Gutter downpipe shoe in the ground

[tonho51]

Is it common to have a downpipe shoe go directly in the ground (opposed to sewer or even soil pipe)?

I've just moved in this house and the roof terrace gutter downpipe goes directly into the ground (about 1 foot deep). The problem is when it rains a lot, this area of the garden floods a bit...

I'm just wondering if it's common practice?

 

[KenGMac]

tonho51, good evening.

Simple answer to the question is it is a reasonably common practice, having said that not a desirable practice.

This problem can lead to Subsidence [depending on what ground your property is sitting on]

I live several hundreds of miles distant from you, the ground conditions around where I reside tends to be sand so some additional water can be coped with.

Can I ask, how old is the roof terrace and its rainwater discharge? the rational behind the question is that if the Structure is original? then the ability of the ground surrounding and below the house is "just managing" to cope with the added burden of water from the roof terrace.

If the rainwater drain were to have been constructed properly then, the underground pipe should have been led into a Surface water drain, or a Soak-away XXXm from a building [someone from England with knowledge of the Regs. surrounding Soak-Away will no doubt tell us??]

Do you know what ground conditions are below your property?
Is there a rain water drain anywhere near the down pipe?
Do you have a large garden area?

Ken

 

[tonho51]

Hi! Thanks for taking the time to explain. Common but not desirable; exactly what I was fearing.

The house was built in the 70's but the roof terrace is part of an extension probably done in the 90's so fairly recently. The garden is fairly small, about 20x30ft and doesn't seem to have any rain water drain anywhere.

I'm not 100% sure on the soil type, but pretty sure it's clay (unfortunately) so not great for drainage to begin with. It's quite a common type of soil in north Oxfordshire.

Would having the downpipe lower in the ground (say 2ft) avoid having the rain water surface back up? Or is my best option is a water butt which will need emptying regularly?

Thanks again!

 

[dpsservices]

Me I would go water butt if no other option available

 

[KenGMac]

tonho51 Hi again.

placing the outlet deeper into the ground is bluntly a waste of time.

As last poster, if no other alternatives the Water butt is simple and cost efffective, loads of water fro the Garden, Un-Metered?

one " Refinement" id to fit an outlet near the top of the Water butt, attach a coupling and a hose, lead the hose around the perimeter of the Garden, trick is to cut small perforations in the hose so the excess water overflowing from the butt dissipates better around the Garden? just a consideration?

Ken.

 

[Mr Chibs]

You'll fill a water butt in no time, I don't think this solution will work for long, in winter you won't need to be watering your flowers.

I think some folk feed it in to the sewer stack... so people have told me.

 

[KenGMac]

Mr Chibs, good evening.

Totally agree, a butt will fill to overflow in a winter storm or in a snow melt [I live in Scotland so have seen a load of that!]

But the trick is to have a sort of controlled overflow, that is as my last post to run a flexible garden hose around the garden, if the layout allows? thye garden hose has to be perforated so the excess water from the butt is dissipated around the garden. remember to put a stopper on the open end of the hose??

It is like an overground soak away?

Ken

 

[Mr Chibs]

Evening fella, not knocking it, sorry didn't sink in the first time... the OP is in a bit of a spot with it, I hate it when guttering just discharges into the ground.
.

 

[KenGMac]

Mr Chibs, Hi

Seriously no probs, as an aside my OP did not mention the plug in the end of the pipe?

I have advised the above to several customers I have had in the past, interestingly, a small porch which was only just Subsiding away from the main rear elevation of the property was halted by the above [dare I suggest, being a Scot---CHEAP--Cheerful---and works!!!]

As I understand it the method proposed above will not "Infringe" the requirement under English legislation as regards putting water back into the ground, you are simply spreading the water around over a large area.

Ken