How to Clean Downspouts

Downspouts allow water to flow off the roof from gutters and away from the foundation of your house. If branches, leaves or other debris clog the downspout, water can back up and flood the interior of your home. For best results, be sure to examine and clean your downspouts at least twice a year.

Things You'll Need

• Extension ladder
• Bucket
• Garden hose with sprayer attachment
• Plumber's snake

Instructions

1. Place the ladder by the top of a downspout, usually at one corner of your house. Make sure the ladder is secure and on flat ground.

2. Get a bucket and climb the ladder to the top of the downspout. Hang the bucket on the ladder, if possible, or use an "S" hook to hang the bucket from a rung of the ladder.

3. Examine the downspout and remove branches, leaves, sticks and other debris from the area. Discard them in your bucket.

4. Get the garden hose. Set the hose into the top of the downspout and turn on the water. If water runs freely to the bottom, the downspout is clean and free of rubbish. If water backs up, you have a clog.

5. To remove a clog, spray into the downspout with a high-powered sprayer attachment on your hose. Try spraying from the top and the bottom to loosen the clog.

6. For tough clogs, use a plumber's snake, which is a flexible auger that spins into the clogged area to clean out the obstruction. Once the snake loosens the clog, use the hose to wash out the debris.

7. Repeat these steps for all of your home's downspouts.

Tips & Warnings

• Clean your downspouts and gutters twice a year. Check them more often if you have large trees that frequently drop branches, leaves and other debris into your gutters.