A downspout is a pipe that attaches to gutters and runs along the exterior wall to direct water from the roof to the ground
. Without working downspouts, water will be allowed to run down the outer walls causing damage to your home. When this happens it allows water to seep into cracks within the walls or around windows anytime it rains or has snowed. One potential problem that can occur is the clogging of your pipes from leaves and debris. It is important to have them checked regularly so that you can avoid this issue. Routine maintenance is simple and virtually easy to do yourself.
To ensure your downspout is working as it should, you should clean all the leaves and debris from the guttering. Once that is done, you can then use a hose and run water through the downspout to see that the flow is not being stopped by something. If the water hose fails to clear the pipe out, you can take the pipe loose from your home just by taking it loose from its holding brackets. Once the debris and possible clog is gone, it takes literally no time to place the pipe back within the brackets.
Aluminum downspouts is what is commonly used on most home's today. It is more cost efficient and really no better than the other alternatives. You can reduce clogging of your downspouts by installing gutter guards. All that does is cover the gutters so that leaves and debris don't collect and cause clogging. Also make sure the curved end of the downspout is angled away from your home and pointed in the direction of a good drainage area. This prevents water from pooling up against the foundation. Or you could extend your downspout into the ground directed into a dry well. The advantage of this is that you get the water even further away from the foundation. The downfall is that clogs below the grounds surface is hard to locate.
It is recommended that if you replace your roof then you should replace your water drainage system. That way your guttering and downspouts can be integrated in with the new roof and you don't have to worry of adjustments with your existing gutters or downspouts. And now gutters can be cut so that they are the exact length of the roof, making it seamless. And most seamless gutters come with built in covers so the risk of clogs are minimal.