Do Downspout Extensions Work?

March 10, 2021

There are many factors to consider when installing your rain gutters. The process entails a series of decisions based on your preferences and the conditions imposed by your property. After contacting a rain gutter installer near you, the installation itself is the least of your concerns, since you have a seasoned professional handling the heavy-duty part of the process, but you still need to be aware of all the intricacies that help gutters do what they do.

As you may already know, your rain gutters take the water that lands from the roof and redirect it away from your home, protecting your sidings and foundations in the process. Your downspouts represent the final leg of this road: all the water channeled by your guttering system goes into your downspouts so it can reach its final destination far from your home and your soil. To understand the pros and cons of downspout extensions, we must first get familiar with the inner workings of the downspout itself.

Downspouts serve the purpose of taking the water from the gutters to a safe area without spilling over the walls or the soil. In most cases, a downspout follows a vertical route from the gutter seams and all along the sidings until they reach a drainage area that's usually 4 to 6 feet away. Downspout extensions are responsible for channeling the water to a safe distance from the foundations, controlling the flow without splashing the ground and foundations.

About Downspout Extensions

In short, downspout extensions are add-ons attached to the end of a downspout to take the water away from a building after being redirected by the gutters. If your downspouts end on your yard and too close to your home's foundations, the water will run freely around your home and move back towards the areas you're trying to protect.

Depending on your home's structural needs you can opt for flexible extensions, roll-out extensions, or flip-up extensions. Remember that all these extension models need to be properly positioned to prevent spillage and damage on the extension itself.

Are Downspout Extensions Necessary?

If your roofs are big / steep, then you must know that there'll be much more water landing on your rain gutters, and this is where downspout extensions can be a useful addition.

Some downspout extensions tend to run underneath the landscaping and below the ground. When there's no concrete surrounding the building, a contractor can dig a trench (usually 12-14-inches deep) and bury the drainage pipes inside. You can have your extension be long enough to drive the water all the way to the street or at least a safe distance away from your house.

In other cases, a specialized mechanism will be enough to collect the water without having to resort to further renovations. All the extension types mentioned on the previous section serve as great solutions to avoid leaks and pools on water on your foundations, basement, and yard, since they regulate the amount of rainwater that falls from the gutters, sometimes while connecting to secondary extensions, before releasing it a safe distance away from your property.


Your rain gutter installer can work with you to make sure that your downspout extensions don't add to your gardening chores. If you want them to be buried below the ground, you can keep downspout extensions without altering your patio's current look or affecting whatever flora you might grow in it.

Potential Drawbacks

There are various instances where extensions are not a viable option. In some cases, the structural layout around your home doesn't allow the installation of an underground extension without incurring in some major renovations. In many parts of the country, such procedures are regulated and downright forbidden in relation to how they might potentially affect the local architecture and resources. If you don't have a garden and your property is surrounded by concrete, underground downspouts will be ruled out altogether.

If you want to have extensions below the ground, you can go over your options to avoid causing too many obstructions on both your yard and sidewalks. The assistance of a professional installer is always the safest approach to avoid structural damage that can also extend to the rest of your rain guttering system.

The lifespan of your downspout extensions is fully dependent on the maintenance you perform on your rain guttering system. If you let your gutters and downspouts get clogged by debris, leaves, and frozen water, you will get pools of rainwater all over your foundations and might ultimately block the extensions. It's particularly hard to remove the obstruction from certain types of extensions, so chances are you have to detach them to get the job done.

Do you want the most sophisticated rain guttering system to match the structural demands of your property? Rain Gutters Solution has the best equipment and years of experience installing the most durable gutters for households and commercial establishments. Call (305) 270-7779 or fill out the contact form on this website to get the best service in South Florida. The professional team at Rain Gutters Solution is ready to surpass all your expectations.

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