# Downspout always clogs quickly. Is no end-cap, a decorative barrel, and modified landscaping an acceptable fix?



## mb1280 (5 mo ago)

I'm on the end unit in this townhouse.
The trees here have grown a lot, in the past 30 years.
They clean the downspout, but it quickly clogs.

Here's my question, that corresponds to the attach 7 photos.

1.) A while back, the end-cap of the gutter broke off. I thought that was bad at the time. I asked to have it repaired, and they did, but this high diverter they put on made the situation even worse: 1.) Before, excess water would go off towards the end of the building, but not anymore, 2.) It's easier for more leaves to collect there

2.) Closeup of the leaves and whirlybirds stuck in the diverter

3.) I had a leak on the side of my chimney. The fix for that lasted a few years, which was good (it's leaking again now, though). But a new problem created here was that they apparently used the gutter as a fall restraint, and bent it out (you can see the bowed out part). If OSHA standards had been in place, they would have been safe, and this problem would not have occurred. Due to this damage, that's the point to which the excess water now backs up to, and I now get a waterfall of water in front of my slider.

4.) Here's a top view of how the water falls. I use the highest quality video setting of my camera, put it on a broom handle, attached with a screw, take a video of the whole area, and then I can get good screen-shots this way. I have two paver-stones set in the garbage can, to keep the wind from blowing it away. This works.

5.) After experimenting with a few things, I've determined that a garbage can helps a lot here, to protect the side of the building from this quantity of water.

6.) Here's how the water would fall off the side of the building.

7.) My idea here to fix is: The garbage can works well. Why not just remove the high diverter - and have no end-cap - and just let this large quantity of water go off the side of the building, and modify the landscaping a bit to accommodate it - it will drain as seen in the path shown. Instead of a garbage can, get a decorative barrel. Cut the top open. Cut a 2x4 hole (or so, have to see) opening at the bottom of the barrel, for the water to drain out. Two rectangular paver stones sit inside the barrel, to keep it in place. The water at the beginning and end of a storm drains into the barrel, which prevents splashing, and dampens the dripping sound. At the height of the storm, debris and water just fly off the side of the building. Debris goes to the ground. The water goes along the ground, to the storm drain 4 units down. The ground is lower, behind the building - My building is in a crater.

More downspouts would just get clogged, and there's no good place to route them.

Would this be considered an acceptable fix?

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I thought I should add 3 more photos:
1.) OSHA compliance video
2.) Closeup of End-cap
3.) Closeup of End-cap


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