- 1). Check the local storm water rules and regulations for your area. Some local and county governments have rules regulating downspout installations. You may be required to connect the downspout to an underground sewer system or an aboveground channel.
- 2). Contact the local gas, water and electric companies before digging. It is unsafe to dig (and in some cases illegal) before contacting the local utility companies and getting their permission. It is essential that you know where all underground pipes and cables are before you can dig safely.
- 3). Select a location and dig a 12- to 14-inch deep trench. The point is to drain the water as far away from the house as possible. The trench should be at least eight feet longer or longer. Start digging at the end where the downspout is, and create a slope as you dig farther away from the house. Create the slope by digging 1/8 inches deeper for every foot of the trench, so that the opposite end of the trench is sloped down considerably from the house.
- 4). Lay sections of four-inch diameter SDR-35 sewer pipe in the trench. Begin by attaching the pipe to the downspout with a 90-degree angled pipe fitting. Cover the inside of the fitting with PVC cement and twist into place. Lay the sewer pipe in the trench and connect each section with a pipe coupling and PVC cement.
- 5). Cover the pipe with soil and fill the trench in. Pack the soil down by walking on it. Reseed the trench with grass seeds.
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