Can Downspout Extensions Help Prevent a Wet Basement or Crawl Space?

Tips to Keep Your Basement Dry.

Do you often find your basement and crawlspace wet, damped, and humid in the rainy season? Water accumulation in your basement is never good, as it can slowly damage and weaken your home's foundation, cause mold growth, and even lead to health hazards. 

Installing downspout extensions is a helpful way to prevent excessive water accumulation in your basement and crawl space, by moving the water away from your home. In this blog, we'll discover how downspout extensions can solve wet basement problems and see whether they're an optimal solution for you. 

What are Gutter Extensions?

Downspout extensions, aka gutter extensions, are installed at the end of the gutter system. The main purpose of gutter systems is to carry away all the rainwater safely to the ground at a safer distance from the foundation. The ultimate goal of gutters is to capture the water shedding off of the roof, and pushing it away from the home. Easy enough, right? If you have the right system in place!

Gutter extensions are typically vertical pipes and must be drained at least 4-8 feet away from the foundation, so drain waters cannot flow back and cause crawl space moisture. 

Are Downspout Extensions Necessary?

Downspout extensions are a very effective way to divert away rainwater pooled from your roof and not let it affect the foundation, basement, crawlspace, or landscape. When they're properly installed and are linked from the roof to the drainage, there is less chance for accumulated rainwaters to seep in and weaken your wood structures. 

So, when the issue comes from the top of the house, meaning your "roof," there are no other best choices than installing downspout extensions. But, if the water is seeping from some other source, downspout extensions may not be the best option. 

How Can Downspout Extensions Help?

#1: Proper Drainage

Sometimes just the gutters on your home aren't enough to properly channel the waters to the ground without dripping on the walls and foundation. That's where downspout extensions come to help the situation. This extension directs away the water through the pipe more precisely so that no water stands on the foundation. 

Having downspout extensions installed with your downspout puts more control and support to the overall drainage system.

#2: Foundation Protection

The constant exposure to standing water on your home's foundation is not only unsightly, but also a big threat to the foundation itself. Flooded waters can dampen the wall, increase the basement's humidity, and attract rodents and pests over time. 

Downspout extensions create an adequate way to channel those rainwaters from the top and place them at a minimum distance from the building. That's how no rainwater coming strictly from the roof gets to seep or drip in, causing your property to easily. 

RELATED: Check out our EZ Breathe Ventilation System, which can help with mold prevention and purification of the air.

#3: Basement Moisture Prevention

Water travels a while until it reaches the ground during a rain. It goes from the roof through the gutters, finally reaching the ground. But when the downspouts are not extended away from the house, the rainwaters can pool beside the foundation and seep into the basement. 

By installing downspout extensions, you can rest assured that the water is channeled away from your home's foundation. This reduces the risk of water damage or moisture buildup in your basement over time.

#4: Prevent Basement Flooding

Downspout is a component that carries water to the ground level by directly connecting up to the roof's edge. When downspout extensions are included with the gutter system, there is very less chance that water can drip away near the foundation and seep into the basement. 

All you need to do is check it regularly and see if any leaves, debris, and other materials are clogging the pipe. If so, clean them up before water starts overflowing and causing damage to your basement.

#5: Preserve Landscaping

Excessive water can cause erosion and root damage. Downspout extension can help preserve the landscaping by directing the accumulated rainwaters away from areas where overflowing could damage things, such as your flower beds, trees, and shrub.

We know we need Downspout Extenders... so how do I install them?

The process for installing a downspout extension typically involves the following steps:

1. Measure the distance between the downspout and the drainage area where you want to direct the water.
2. Purchase all the necessary materials, such as appropriate size downspout extensions, connectors, and screws.
3. Clean the area by removing any leaves and debris where you'll install the downspout extension.
4. Connect the extension to the end of your existing downspout using adapters or connectors.

Check and position the other end of the extension so that it can redirect the water away from your foundation, ideally onto a sloped surface or into any drainage system.

I have gutter extenders installed, but it doesn't seem to be enough... now what?

Gutter extensions are only enough when water is overflowing from your rooftop while raining, and water drops are seeping into your basement or crawl space. But what if the water is dripping into your basement from elsewhere? 

Many other ways can cause rainwater to flood your property, such as clogged gutters, foundation cracks, poorly designed landscaping, damaged roofing, etc. All of these problems have different solutions. So, the gutter extensions aren't enough when the leakage source differs from the gutter systems. Need an expert opinion? Reach out to the PierMagic team today!