Downpipes, hoppers & gullies
In short
A downpipe that is blocked, split or discharging in the wrong place puts concentrated water exactly where you least want it. Most of the work is clearing, re-fixing and making sure the bottom end actually discharges into a gully rather than onto the ground.
Also called: Downpipe blocked · Drainpipe leaking · Rainwater pipe · Blocked gully
Signs you need this
- Water overflowing at the gutter outlet or at a hopper
- A vertical damp stripe on an internal wall
- Water spraying out of the back of a downpipe in rain
- A gully at the base overflowing or standing full
- A downpipe discharging onto bare ground beside a wall
- Rust or staining running down the wall behind the pipe
The downpipe is the part of the rainwater system carrying the highest volume in the smallest cross-section, which is why blockages there cause more visible trouble than blockages in the gutter. Water that cannot get down backs up into the gutter and over the front edge, and the fault gets blamed on the gutter.
Blockages collect at the constrictions: the outlet at the top, any bend or offset around an eaves overhang, and the shoe at the bottom. Hoppers — the open funnels on older systems, often taking a waste pipe as well — are notorious, because they collect leaves and moss and sit where nobody looks. Clearing means rodding the pipe rather than poking at the top of it.
Splits are the other common fault, and they matter more than they look. A split at the back of a downpipe — the side against the wall — sprays water straight into the masonry every time it rains, and because it is invisible from the front it can run for years. A vertical damp stripe on an internal wall with no obvious cause is very often a split downpipe behind it. Cast iron rots at exactly the same place for the same reason.
Fixings matter for the same reason. A downpipe should stand off the wall on its brackets, not against it, so that any leak sheds away from the masonry and so the back of the pipe can dry. Pipes strapped tight against a wall keep it permanently wet along the line of the pipe.
The bottom end is where most of the real problems are. A downpipe should discharge into a gully or a sealed drain connection, not onto the ground or into a soakaway pit that has silted up decades ago. A pipe ending a foot above bare soil against a wall is concentrating the whole roof's water into the ground next to the foundation, which is a common and easily-fixed cause of damp at ground-floor level.
One point specific to a terrace. Since 1 October 2011, drains and sewers shared between properties transferred to the water company. In a Macclesfield terrace, where the drain from your gully joins next door's before it reaches the public sewer, a blockage past that junction is very often United Utilities' to clear — free — and people pay privately for that work regularly without realising. Worth knowing before anybody starts excavating.
What the job covers
- Downpipes rodded and cleared along their full length
- Hoppers cleared and checked for splits
- Split or corroded sections replaced
- Brackets renewed so the pipe stands off the wall
- Gullies cleared and the discharge point checked
- Advice on shared drains and where the responsibility sits
What it costs
We don't publish a price for this yet, because a number pulled out of the air is worse than no number at all — your roofer has to honour it. On roofing it would also be close to meaningless: access is often the biggest single factor, and it varies enormously house to house. You'll get a firm price for your actual job when they ring you back, before any work starts. The quote itself is free and there's no obligation either way.
Common questions
My gutter overflows but it is clean. Could it be the downpipe?
Very likely. If the water cannot get down, it backs up and over the gutter — and the blockage is usually at the outlet, at a bend, or at the shoe rather than anywhere you can see. Rodding the pipe is the check, not another look in the gutter.
There is a damp stripe on my inside wall. Is that the downpipe?
It is one of the first things to rule out. A split on the back of a downpipe sprays into the masonry every time it rains and is completely invisible from the front. A narrow vertical damp patch on an internal wall with a downpipe on the other side is a classic. It costs nothing to look.
Where should the downpipe end?
In a gully or a proper drain connection. A downpipe discharging onto bare ground beside a wall puts the entire roof's rainwater into the soil next to the foundations, which is a frequent and easily fixed cause of ground-floor damp. A shoe over a gully is the normal correct arrangement.
My gully keeps backing up. Whose problem is it?
Possibly not yours. Since 1 October 2011 drains and sewers shared between properties have belonged to the water company, and in a terrace your drain very often joins next door's before it reaches the sewer. A blockage past that junction is normally United Utilities' to clear at no cost. Worth a call before anyone starts digging.
Need this doing in Macclesfield?
Tell us the job and it goes straight to our local roofer — one call back, usually the same day. Free quote, no obligation.