Downspout Water....Pool?

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Thinkly

Thinkly

Well-known member
Oct 12, 2009
326
Overland Park, KS
We just moved into this house last summer and this has always been a mystery to me. One of the downspouts coming off the roof is diverted away from the patio/pool area via a 4" corrugated pipe placed on the ground.

It runs about 2o feet parallel to the house and then goes out into the yard a couple feet, which places it clear away from the pool. It is clear that the intent was to keep roof water away from the pool, but why?

There is a drain between the previously existing patio and the newly installed pool. Wouldn't this be able to drain the possibly tainted water? We hate looking at the huge black corrugated pipe that snakes along the side of the house.

I can post pics later if it will help but i wonder if anyone had expertise or experience with this?
 
img0007m.jpg


Look at the base of the house, you can see the corrugated pipe.
 
If it is a leaky drain pipe with weeping holes, then perhaps they didn't want water to get under the pool. You could drill a hole in the concrete to go under the patio and then bury the pipe.

[EDIT] Never mind, I think I understand now. The owners probably didn't want water running on the patio. It can cause mold and algae.
 
PoolGuyNJ said:
I would have a gutter guy replace the section with the down spout to one without a downspout and then repitch the gutter to the other
side of the house.

Scott
Click to expand...


That isn't possible. You can't see the rest of the deck, but that section ends at the fireplace chimney and drains a large section of gutter.
 
Thats the best fix, i would think. Just move the downspout on the other side. Take some more picts on the other side of the house so we can see the issue.

I see why they put in the pipe so the water wouldnt run in the pool. I have all my down spouts run underground so the water runs away from the house.
 
bk406 said:
Thats the best fix, i would think. Just move the downspout on the other side. Take some more picts on the other side of the house so we can see the issue.

I see why they put in the pipe so the water wouldnt run in the pool. I have all my down spouts run underground so the water runs away from the house.
Click to expand...

That would seem to be the fix but again, it isn't. I can't take more pics cuz it is dark. But there is a roof over that deck you see to the left and gutter all the way around it. The otherside already has a downspout. The only option would be to plug this downspout and that would not be sufficient drainage for the roof.

Regardless, what is the issue with roof water? Is it the shingle sand? Or what am i missing?
 
Rainwater, especially draining off the roof would just add extra contaminants for you to have to treat chemically. Rather than allowing the water to drain onto the deck, and possibly seep under the house, it was probably safer for them to make sure it drained away from the house. I don't think the main intent was to prevent the water from flowing into the pool, but rather, to prevent the water collecting on the deck and causing damage to your house's foundation.
That's just an opinion.
 

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Well, I'm comfortable that this would be a code violation but......

you could insert a 4" PVC pipe through the "chimney" (I'm assuming it's a hollow box that has a stainless triple-wall pipe inside of it) and then create some kind of clever connection at each end of the pvc pipe to tie the two gutters together.

That's probably too much gutter length for one downspout (so it will overflow when you get one of those Central Kansas thunderstorms) but it will handle the flow 95% of the time and you will get rid of both the downspout and the black pipe.
 
It looks to me like the commonly used piping to keep water from depositing too heavily in a concentrated area; in your case off of the patio, from running across the patio into pool, and to divert water away from house foundation. It looks like a temporary measure and/or afterthought measure. They are commonly used to divert water away, buried for most permanent installations. Many are perforated to let water gradually release into an area. A lot of times, when done properly, when they are buried, they are wrapped with a type of landscape material to keep mud/silt from entering and clogging the pipe. I have several, buried, that run a few inches below grade, running around two sides of the house, in pretty narrow planting areas, lining the house foundation, that carries water from a drain by the garage door/concrete slab to another drain that goes down the hill but does a bit of releasing water along the way to water plants in the narrow soil area on west side of house, between the foundation and pool decking.

I have another unburied, leading away from a downspout, on new gutters I put up a few years ago. The old gutter downspouts emptied under the deck and did quite a bit of erosion of the soil around the concrete footings for steel peirs for deck. This installation is "temporary" (sic) as I have but not placed/connected a bunch of 50 gal barrels, for water collection off of that roof, from the downspout.

I have another long piece, waiting patiently, to be put to use when needed.

I'm sure this pipe is called several things. It is pretty inexpensive and very easy to work with, and does its job well.

I wrote this hours ago but didn't post and I see that there are other post, that I haven't had time to read. You could place a decorative water collection barrel below the downspout and run the overflow more hidden.

gg=alice
 
Why not continue the gutter from one side around the chimney and connect to the other end of the gutter? It may not look too pleasing but you can then eliminate the downspout and all will be well.
 
I cannot see the picture for some reason, but my guess, to answer your question, is that they do not let the roof water go into the pool becuase during a Kansas spring rainstorm (Shawnee, KS here) you already have enough extra water going into your pool, that you will have to waste anyway, why add more to the mix. A good downpour can easily add an inch (I wish it was this little sometimes) of water just across the surface of your pool, add to that the same amount falling on a roof (which could easily be many times the size of your pool) and being diverted directly into your pool would mean just that much more water to waste out. ADD to that the effct on your chemicals, you are just throwing money, time and energy out the window to correct something a little piece of black pipe can fix. MY own $.02. By the way, I have the same black pipe diverting a downspout around my equipment pad that I have just never burried.
 
I don't see where the drain is located, but you can give it a try. Remove the black pipe and during the next rain see where the water flows and if the drain is capable of handling it. That would be a very good solution assuming you always keep the drain free of debris.

Otherewise, here is what I would do....

Use rectangular gutter downspout and elbows on edge and on top of the slab, hugging the siding all around the outside of the fireplace to bring it out to the dirt. Then burry the black pipe as much as possible. You can paint the gutter to match the siding and it will look better than the black pipe.

The idea about using pvc to go through the chimney is a good idea provided you can make sure you have watertight seals. You'd hate to have leaves and such block the end and have water pouring into the chimeny area.
 
While rainwater, in itself, may not be chemically horrible (but it can be pretty bad in some areas), roof runoff typically carries shingle aggregate, bird droppings, leaves, rust, and other contaminates with it, and you don't want that in your pool.
In your case, you seem to be limited to breaking concrete and digging to submerge the drain tube, but I think you should call a couple of gutter guys out and have them look and tell you what their suggestions would be. Since they are in the business, they have seen a lot of ...interesting... installations, and will have insights that we lack. They should offer a solution and estimate for free. See if they can come up with anything.
 
lborne said:
Otherewise, here is what I would do....

Use rectangular gutter downspout and elbows on edge and on top of the slab, hugging the siding all around the outside of the fireplace to bring it out to the dirt. Then burry the black pipe as much as possible. You can paint the gutter to match the siding and it will look better than the black pipe.
Click to expand...

Thats what I would do. Just pitch it a little around the base of the chimney.

I cant see the drain between the patio and the deck either, but my guess is that it is not sufficient to stop all the water from going in the pool. Several hundred gallons will come off that roof with just an inch of rain and flow right into the pool.

(EDIT: Post above was added while i was typing). The idea to have a gutter company come out and look at it is a good one too. They should give you a free look-see.
 
PoolGuyNJ said:
Why not run a leader under the deck and under the fence?

Scott
Click to expand...

That is an option I suppose, but again probably not ideal. That would give two downspouts dumping in the same area. An area which is bordered by a fence within 5 feet. I like the idea of trying to use aluminum extensions and running under the fireplace and seeing if i can at least get it to dump somewhere that isn't parallel to the pool .

It seems like to me if i get the water to at least dump in the grass than the issue of direct run off from the roof gets somewhat muted. I can see water having enough force to go down the patio and climb the slope of the pool deck to enter the pool.

I can't really see it having the force to traverse the lawn, edging, rocks and then climb the pool decking.
 

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