# Underground downspout drainage in Irving, TX

> Buried downspout drainage in Irving: solid pipe from each downspout to an emitter, swale or curb, sized for local storms. Tell us how many downspouts you have.

URL: https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/downspout-drainage/

Service

A roof concentrates a lot of rain at a few corners. Burying those downspouts in solid pipe carries the water past the slab to a place it can safely leave the lot.

On a typical house, the whole roof drains to a handful of downspouts, and most of them discharge right beside the foundation. Each inch of rain on 1,000 square feet of roof is about 620 gallons, so a heavy storm dumps hundreds or thousands of gallons into a few square feet of soil next to the slab. [Rein Irving Drainage Company](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/) buries downspouts in solid pipe and carries that water to an outlet where it can leave the lot without coming back toward the house.

## Why downspouts matter so much on Irving clay

Where a house sits on a concrete slab over expansive clay, water that collects at one wall keeps that side of the soil wetter than the rest. The USDA soil survey gives the Ferris and Heiden clays of Las Colinas a shrink-swell rating near 17 percent, high on the scale. Uneven wetting is what that kind of clay responds to, so moving roof water away from the slab is one of the most useful [foundation drainage](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/foundation-drainage/) steps there is. It does not repair a foundation, but it removes a cause.

## How much water a roof sends

| Roof area draining to one downspout | 1 in of rain | 1.77 in in one hour (Irving’s 2-year storm) | 3.95 in in 24 hours (2-year) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 500 sq ft | about 310 gal | about 550 gal | about 1,230 gal |
| 1,000 sq ft | about 620 gal | about 1,100 gal | about 2,460 gal |
| 1,500 sq ft | about 930 gal | about 1,650 gal | about 3,690 gal |

Storm figures are from NOAA Atlas 14 for central Irving. The one-hour burst is what decides pipe size, because that is when undersized lines back up and spill at the corner. The [roof runoff guide](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/guide/how-much-water-comes-off-a-roof/) explains the arithmetic.

## What the work includes

- **An adapter** at each downspout that connects to the buried pipe without leaking at the joint.
- **Smooth solid pipe** laid with steady fall. Perforated pipe would leak the water back into the soil beside the house, which defeats the purpose; see [solid or perforated pipe](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/guide/should-downspouts-drain-into-perforated-pipe/).
- **A cleanout** near each downspout so roof grit can be flushed out later.
- **An outlet**: a pop-up emitter where the lawn keeps falling away, a swale, the alley line, or a curb core through the street curb where the city allows it.
- **Restoration** of the trench line, including sod and any sprinkler lines crossed.

## Choosing the outlet

Pop-up emitters suit lawns that slope away from the house: water rises out of the emitter and runs off downhill. On a flat lot the same water stands around the emitter and can seep back, so the line usually needs to reach a swale, the curb or a lower corner. University Park requires roof drainage to be piped through the curb or to the alley line, and Coppell has issued residential curb cores for yard drains as engineering permits. Grand Prairie bars concentrating runoff onto a neighboring lot. For Irving addresses we confirm the rule before work starts. More in [where drainage water can go](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/guide/where-does-a-french-drain-drain/).

## Keep roof water out of French drains

Tying downspouts into a French drain is a common shortcut. In a burst storm, the roof delivers far more water than the drain’s stone can take, the drain floods, and the water can push back out near the house. Roof water belongs in its own solid line. Where a yard also needs a [French drain](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/french-drain-installation/), the two can join only downstream, in solid pipe sized for both, or run to separate outlets.

## Combining downspouts with other work

Downspout lines often share a solid pipe with [catch basins](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/catch-basins/), since both carry surface water. Where soil has built up against the house, pulling it back and [regrading](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/yard-grading/) the first ten feet finishes the job. On larger lots, downspouts become one branch of a [whole-yard drainage system](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/yard-drainage/).

## How the work runs

1. **811 locate** before digging.
2. **Layout** of each line and the outlet, with fall checked from each downspout.
3. **Trench, lay and connect** pipe, adapters and cleanouts.
4. **Hose test** at each downspout so you can see water leave at the outlet.
5. **Restore** the trench line and repair sprinklers.

Rein Irving Drainage Company plans and manages each job; installation is carried out by licensed and insured drainage contractors we work with.

## Cost

As a national budgeting range, a straightforward buried downspout to a pop-up emitter runs about $150 to $350 per downspout. Long runs to the curb, a curb core, crossing a walk or driveway, and larger pipe for big roof sections cost more; several downspouts sharing one trench bring the cost per downspout down. See the [downspout drainage cost guide](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/guide/downspout-drainage-cost-irving/) and the [cost tool](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/tools/drainage-cost-estimator/).

## Upkeep

Clean gutters keep most debris out of the pipe. Check that pop-up emitters open and are not buried by mulch or grass, and flush lines through their cleanouts if a downspout starts overflowing at the joint. If a line has stopped draining, [drainage repair](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/drainage-repair/) finds where.

## What this work looks like

## Questions people ask

### How far from the house should a downspout discharge?

Far enough that the water cannot run back toward the foundation: past the first ten feet of slope and into ground that keeps falling away, or into a pipe that carries it to a swale, the curb or the alley.

### Do pop-up emitters work on flat lots?

Poorly. A pop-up needs the lawn to keep falling away so the water it releases runs off. On a flat lot the water comes back up and stands around the emitter, so the line usually needs to reach a swale, the curb or a lower corner.

### What diameter pipe should buried downspouts use?

Most single downspouts use 4 inch smooth solid pipe. Large roof sections, or lines that collect several downspouts, are sized for the roof area feeding them in a burst storm.

### Will buried downspout lines clog?

Roof grit and leaves can settle in them over time. A cleanout near each downspout and a gutter guard or leaf screen keep them clear, and a line can be flushed from the cleanout.

### Can downspouts be connected to the street storm drain?

Some cities allow a pipe through the street curb with approval, and University Park requires roof drainage to go to the curb or alley. Connecting directly to a city storm inlet is a different matter and generally needs the city's permission.

## Get an estimate

Tell us where the water stands and send a photo. After a site visit, you get a written price.

[(469) 680-8773](tel:+14696808773)

## Related services

- [Catch basin installation](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/catch-basins/)
- [Foundation drainage](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/foundation-drainage/)
- [Yard drainage systems](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/yard-drainage/)
- [French drain installation](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/french-drain-installation/)

## Guides

- [Downspouts and perforated pipe](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/guide/should-downspouts-drain-into-perforated-pipe/)
- [How much water comes off a roof](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/guide/how-much-water-comes-off-a-roof/)
- [Downspout drainage cost in Irving](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/guide/downspout-drainage-cost-irving/)
- [Where a French drain drains](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/guide/where-does-a-french-drain-drain/)

## Downspouts dumping beside the slab?

Tell us how many downspouts there are and where the lot drains.