# Down spout drains under ground



## Ewc88 (Apr 3, 2019)

Hello everyone I need some help/guidance. When I bought my home 2 years ago, the previous owners had the downspouts connected to the black corrugated pipe and put under ground. Foolish me didn't notice they were not fully connected, nor noticed where they discharged too. Fast forward to today and they are bad, a lot of dirt in them and I'm trying to figure where they go. I was going call Roto Rooter to see if they can unclog and discover where it goes but then thought if I could do this job. I see homedepot rents these automatic pipe cleaners and figure that would work. BUT I'm not sure if they will ruin the corrugated pipe.

So was curious if anyone knows if those tools homedepot have are made to be use in those corrugated pipes, and if not what's the best solution to clear lines and find discharge? I walked my whole lawn and see 0 pop ups or pipe sticking out.


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## hsvtoolfool (Jul 23, 2018)

That black landscape drainage pipe is very difficult to clean out. It's meant to be replaced when it collapses or gets clogged. It's thin and fragile so I certainly wouldn't try any type of mechanical spinning routers. You might try a pressure-washer with a blaster-type cleaner...

www.cloghog.com/tips/unclog-a-landscape-drain.php

The usual cause for landscape drain pipe to fail is getting crushed, either by tree roots or from weight above. I think your first task is to find the location of the stoppage. Perhaps cameras are available to let you see why it's blocked.

I dislike landscape pipe for long-term installs. So I used 4" schedule-40 PVC pipe for all my downspouts and yard drains. It was a little more expensive and a royal pain to dig the trench and set the final slope. But if was worth the trouble. Thick PVC flows better, is much tougher, and can be cleaned out with a rental router. I installed cleanouts about every 40 feet or so. It's only been three years now but all the lines seem to flow smoothly and self-clean.


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## Mrsamman (Jun 12, 2018)

Push your garden hose as far as it will go and then turn on the water. If it doesnt back up immediately you should be able to find water coming up in the yard somewhere. If you find the pipe dig out the dirt from the end and let the water run and pull the hose in and out of the pipe cleaning the dirt and debris out.

Scott


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## dfw_pilot (Jan 28, 2017)

@Ewc88, your thread is now in the landscaping forum. Cheers.


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## Ewc88 (Apr 3, 2019)

Thanks dfw for moving it.

I tried using a hose with a high pressure nozzle on the tip of it, I probably got about 4-5' with the one downspout and came to a complete stop.

I'm going try and see if anyone near me has a camera I can fish through to see what's going on, if not I'll buy one to see.

Knowing my luck it's collapse, so I should probably look at going PVC route and mapping out where I want it to discharge.

What do you guys recommend for French drain? Looking to do elsewhere.


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## jjepeto (Jan 27, 2019)

Ewc88 said:


> What do you guys recommend for French drain? Looking to do elsewhere.


Just to clarify - you're asking about a separate french drain install right? Because it's not a good idea to combine surface and subsurface drainage in the same pipe.

If you think your corrugated pipe has collapsed 4-5' away from the inlet I would dig around that area and try to find it. If you locate it and it has collapsed there you could repair just that section with simple snap connections. That would be cheaper and much easier than digging new trenches. It won't last forever but could certainly get things flowing again until you're ready to upgrade to PVC.

I personally used corrugated pipe for my install because of cost and ease of install. I plan on flushing it with lots of water every 1-2 years. Another good idea for keeping debris and sediment from clogging the corrugated lines is to install a catch basin somewhere near the start of the line. This allows heavier debris like sand and soil to sink to the bottom of the catch basin to be cleaned out periodically, but the water keeps flowing down the line.

You may be able to salvage your system with a few repairs and upgrades like catch basins and save a lot of money, time, and backache.

Good luck!


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## Ewc88 (Apr 3, 2019)

I only tested the one, but I'll have to check all four downspouts to see if they all stop like the first one did, I can imagine they all will. I tried asking my neighbor if he saw the install and if he knew it any pop ups were install or what and he didn't know. Can't ask old owners because they passed away so it's a mystery. I will take the shovel out though and start digging.

I did just do some research and saw it's. It good to put downspouts and French drains together so that idea won't happen, but that's not a problem I'll do that separate to ensure it's perfect. Just watching some "French Drain Man" YouTube video to prepare myself with that task.


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## Hoosier (Jun 12, 2018)

I have a handful of popups around the house, since that's what the builder installed, and they're always clogged, and very difficult to clean out. I just found one in the yard earlier this year that I didn't even know was there since I think they sodded right over it, and it took this long for the grass above it to die and dirt to clear out. Lived in the house for 2 years before I noticed it. Maybe this could be the case for you as well if you can't find anywhere that the water is flowing to.

I talked to the builder recently, and he said they have stopped using popups because people keep complaining that they are clogging. What you can do though, if you find that you do have popups somewhere that you want to keep, and once you get them cleaned out, is to put a cage/screen in the gutter that feeds that popup, to prevent the majority of leaves from going down the downspout and clogging the popup. I also go out in the rain to clean them out, since the debris normally comes right out, with a little help, if there's a good amount of water running to the popup.

I know you're not at this point yet, but just an fyi if you discover this to be the case.


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## Ewc88 (Apr 3, 2019)

Had a company come out to quote me and they didn't recommend them blowing out the line with water pressure. They said it's way to much pressure that can destroy the corrugated pipe, also can cause more issues. So he recommend I just dig it up and replace it with PVC.


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## TN Hawkeye (May 7, 2018)

Ewc88 said:


> Had a company come out to quote me and they didn't recommend them blowing out the line with water pressure. They said it's way to much pressure that can destroy the corrugated pipe, also can cause more issues. So he recommend I just dig it up and replace it with PVC.


I have the same thing at my house. Black corrugated pipes that the downspouts go into. I have no idea where they go or if they even still work. I'm tempted to cut them off at ground level and let the downspouts drain into the yard. I'll have to try sending a hose down them first to see if they are blocked.


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