Downspout drain lines in Lafayette Parish
A roof catches a lot of a Gulf Coast cloudburst. Here's how buried downspout lines get that water out of the flower beds.
Every downspout gathers the rain from a section of roof and drops it in one place. In Lafayette, where storms can drop a lot of rain fast, that one place can turn into a pond against the house. A buried drain line connects the downspout to solid pipe that carries the water across the yard to an outlet where it can't flow back.
Solid pipe, not perforated
Roof water should be carried, not leaked. Perforated pipe belongs in a French drain, where the goal is to collect water from the soil. Using perforated pipe for a downspout line puts the roof water right back into the ground near the slab. If a contractor proposes combining a French drain and downspouts in one line, ask how they'll keep roof water from overwhelming it.
Where can the line end?
- Curb outlets through to the street gutter, where your city allows it
- Roadside ditches in neighborhoods without curbs, without blocking the ditch
- Pop-up emitters in a part of the lawn that slopes away
- A swale or rear drainage easement already built into the subdivision
Signs a buried line has failed
- Water bubbling out at the downspout joint during heavy rain
- Gutters overflowing even though they're clean
- A soggy stripe of lawn following the pipe route
- An emitter that never pops open
Gutters come first
A drain line can only carry what the gutters deliver. Oak leaves and pine straw clog gutters and the top of the downspout, and undersized gutters overflow in hard rain before the water ever reaches the line. A good contractor will look at the gutters and the number of downspouts before designing the underground part. Roof water also belongs in the storm drainage system, never in a sewer cleanout.
We don't quote prices. The contractor prices the job after walking the property and seeing how far the water has to travel and where it can legally go, so a phone estimate given before that visit is only a rough starting point.
Where we connect you with help
Common questions
Can I connect downspouts to my sewer cleanout?
No. Roof water should go to the street, a ditch or the yard, not into the sanitary sewer.
Can an old line be cleared instead of replaced?
Often, if it isn't crushed or full of roots. Jetting or a camera inspection can show whether it's worth saving.
Related services
More background: Lafayette Parish drainage guide.
Yard still under water a day after the storm?
Call and a local drainage contractor will help you work out where the water should be going instead.