What is a Pop Up Gutter Drain?
After you have installed your gutters and your downspouts, the downspouts will run to the ground at your foundation. The end up the downspout will be approximately six to eight inches away from the wall. If you want to drain water to a location further away from your foundation, you will have to use an underground drain. Connect the bottom of the downspout to the underground drain so the water will redirect to a preferable area. The pop up gutter drain is a valve connected to the underground drain with a gravity powered lid that simply falls down when water isn’t flowing.
Pop up gutter drains are installed at the end of an underground pipe to return the water to the surface. The pop up gutter drain will help the water resurface and expel it onto the ground. These types of drains are made of PVC and have adaptors to connect to four inch corrugated pipe, three inch PVC pipe or a four inch PVC pipe.
Why Do You Need a Pop Up Gutter Drain?
If you don’t have a steep hill or ditch that you are running water to or your yard is more is flat in its layout, you need a pop up gutter drain. A regular pipe would stick up in the yard and would be tripped over or mowed on. The pop up gutter drain is used to create a flat top surface to keep the debris out when it’s not raining while also allowing the water to flow out when it is raining.
Can Pop Up Gutter Drains Get Clogged?
Pop up gutter drains can most certainly get clogged if gutter guards are not installed on the gutter system or you don’t have a downspout screen. Having both of these tools will help keep your underground drain from getting clogged.
If your pop up gutter drain is clogged, most of the time you can clean them without too much trouble. Typically, the caps on the top of the drain are not glued on. You can lift the cap off and reach in with gloves and clean out the end of the line.
Do Pop Up Gutter Drains Get Damaged Easily?
Since the caps are not usually glued on, they can become loose. When this happens the cap can be sucked up by a lawnmower or pushed off during a rainstorm. If the cap is laying around in the yard it can be cut by the lawnmower or weed eater.
If you choose to glue them on, you will not be able clean them. What you could do is put some type of screw in the side. Pop up gutter drains do not usually get damaged anywhere besides the cap. Wrapping the seal with electrical tape or some type of waterproof tape can help keep the cap in place.
It is recommended that you do not glue the cap on unless you’re sure that there won’t be any debris. Make sure you at least have a downspout screen or gutter guards. If you do not have those two, don’t glue it.
How Do You Repair a Pop Up Gutter Drain?
Depending on what type of damage has been done, you may be able to just dig up the drain and replace it before putting it back in the ground. If the cap has been damaged by a lawnmower, you can just repurchase the cap and reinstall a new one. Sometimes the caps can get stuck and won’t come off. A small amount of WD 40 can help loosen the cap.
