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Tips & Techniques

Downspout Reroute

ABS pipes and elbows bring a drain to a new downspout.

By Martin Alonso Issue 320 - Dec 2023/Jan 2024

I was recently hired to build a couple of dormers, which required me to reroute rain gutters and circular, galvanized downspouts. The problem was that the new downspouts needed to be located in a different spot and would no longer line up with the ABS drainpipe buried in the ground. Instead of trying to source new steel downspouts and elbows to snake the downspout to the drain, I decided to use ABS pipes and elbows to bring the drain to the downspouts. Cutting and gluing the ABS was easy, and I used plastic paint to protect the ABS from UV rays and to match the colors on the rest of the house.

—Martin Alonso, Rohnert Park, Calif.

Edited and illustrated by Charles Miller.

From Fine Homebuilding #320

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