Look for the following downspout situations: downspouts too close to the roof, clogged downspouts, missing downspouts, and clogged or missing drain lines. If you see water overflowing from your gutters or downspouts and have already checked to be sure they are not clogged, then you either have a problem with the discharge drain line or an inadequate downspout, which is too narrow to carry the water in a heavy rain. In this case, you will want to install a larger diameter downspout.

Everyone thinks waterproofing is expensive, but it’s not. Downspout overflow is covered in Section W – Pages 65, 66 of The Home Waterproofers Manual – Home Waterproofing A to Z. What looks like a very serious and expensive problem may not be. Once it’s explained, where the problem comes from and how to fix it makes common sense. You’ll wonder why the water proofing salesmen don’t talk about it. Diverting the water away from your walls usually only cost $50 to $300 or so and there’s no money in that. If there’s a cheap way to fix the problem, they won’t tell you. Don’t put yourself at the mercy of high priced waterproofers.

You can save thousands of dollars and many headaches by learning what is going on first. Often what looks like an expensive and serious problem may not be. Once the problem is explained, solving it is just common sense. I’ve used the knowledge I’ve put in The Home Waterproofers Manual – Home Waterproofing A to Z every day to fix water problems. It will work for you too.

But remember, when dealing with salesmen, in the waterproofing business it’s “buyer beware”. Most get a percentage of the sale and don’t consider it their job to save you money. They charge as much as they can. If they see a problem that can be fixed at low cost, or one that has a simple solution, they won’t mention it, but will only talk about “preventing serious damage” and try to scare you into signing a big contract.