- Place drainage spouts in areas where there is proper slope away from the foundation. The slope of the soil should be 6 inches for the first 10 feet around your foundation. Check this with a 10 foot straight two-by-four and a level. Lay one end of the two-by-four against the foundation wall, making sure that it is level. Measure the distance from the end of the two-by-four to the ground. If the measurement is less than 6 inches, consider regrading the soil to improve drainage.
- Install an elbow onto the end of the downspout so that water flows away from the house. Position downspouts so they can quickly drain at least 3 feet away from the house to prevent water from seeping into the ground closest to the foundation or into the basement or crawl space. The best area for drainage is well-drained soil, a French drain or a drain line that extends to a gutter for drainage on the street.
- Prevent erosion of soil by placing rocks, splash blocks, gravel or other forms of water dispersal at the end of the downspout. These methods reduce the speed of water leaving downspouts before it hits the soil. In addition, they spread the water over a larger area to decrease the water pressure, resulting in less displaced soil during drainage. Position drainage spouts so that they do not drain directly into a flowerbed. The water pressure will wash away the soil and mulch around plants and leech nutrients from the soil.
