Gutter repair/replacement

[BC Dave]

The last rainstorm flooded our basement. Whe have been told our rain gutters, especially the downspouts, are too small to take away torrential rain. I have tried phoning a couple of gutter companies in the phone book and not received any callbacks. Also Beaver Home Improvements told me they are booked out till next spring. Any ideas on who to contact before it rains again?

[twobits]

The last rainstorm flooded our basement. Whe have been told our rain gutters, especially the downspouts, are too small to take away torrential rain. I have tried phoning a couple of gutter companies in the phone book and not received any callbacks. Also Beaver Home Improvements told me they are booked out till next spring. Any ideas on who to contact before it rains again?

That seems to be an odd diagnosis. Sure, that last big rain was a doozy but we always get a Cpl of big downpours a year it seems. Has your basement flooded in the past during a freak rainstorm? Obviously without knowing your home I am only surmising but most people that this occurs to the problem is not the size of the downspout but rather the downspout is blocked (even partially) and then the gutters overflow placing water where it can seep into the basement. The other possible issue is where your downspouts take the water. Is it dumped straight to the ground next to the foundation? If so, extend the downspout to carry the water at least 4 ft away from the foundation. Does the downspout go into a pipe coming out of the ground? Is the pipe plugged or if it goes to a rock pit has the rock pit reached the end of it's useful life.

[BC Dave]

There have been previous leaks. The workshop on the opposite side of the basement (with a concrete floor) would have water in it every time it rained hard. We had the concrete jackhammered out next to the downspout and the person who did it told us the downspout went straight into the ground right beside the foundation, with no drainpipe to channel water away. A proper drainpipe was put in and extended out over our backyard embankment. That part of the basement remained bone dry after the recent downpour. Not so with the rec room on the other side of the basement. When it flooded, we assumed that there was also no drainpipe under the gutter downspout. In fact, there was a galvanized pipe there, but it had a large hole in the top that allowed a fair bit of water to escape and leak into the rec room. That pipe was also replaced. The guy who did the work told us that our whole gutter system is undersized given the large roof area. So we wanted to get an opinion from a gutter expert. But we can't seem to get anyone to return our calls. THX.

[twobits]

There have been previous leaks. The workshop on the opposite side of the basement (with a concrete floor) would have water in it every time it rained hard. We had the concrete jackhammered out next to the downspout and the person who did it told us the downspout went straight into the ground right beside the foundation, with no drainpipe to channel water away. A proper drainpipe was put in and extended out over our backyard embankment. That part of the basement remained bone dry after the recent downpour. Not so with the rec room on the other side of the basement. When it flooded, we assumed that there was also no drainpipe under the gutter downspout. In fact, there was a galvanized pipe there, but it had a large hole in the top that allowed a fair bit of water to escape and leak into the rec room. That pipe was also replaced. The guy who did the work told us that our whole gutter system is undersized given the large roof area. So we wanted to get an opinion from a gutter expert. But we can't seem to get anyone to return our calls. THX.

Sounds like you might not have a problem anymore with the repair of the second drainpipe. If you are still interested in an opinion on your gutters and downspouts and no one is responding, maybe someone in the building permit dept at city hall can help you out. They will likely have simple formula's of square feet of roof to downspout capacity requirements. Just a thought.

[watchkat]

Just a question...........eaves are not large enough? Is it possible there are not enough downspouts to allow the eaves to clear without overflowing the edges? Perhaps rather than one on each side if that is the case, additional downspouts are a cheap addition and would direct the water down and away from the foundation.

Just in passing,,,,,,,,perhaps when the weather is warmer you might dig down on the outside of the foundation and recoat the concrete with the black sealant for that purpose?