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rain gutter qustion

migraine | Posted in General Discussion on November 3, 2006 01:07am

I can’t believe I’m asking this, but…

I have a client that is complaining about the sound of rain falling when it goes through the gutter.   She had me listen to it and I was quite amazed at how noisy it was coming through the walls and windows.  She has two downspouts outside the master bedroom window and because of the roof line, there is no other place to move them?

Are there any tricks for reducing the falling water sound?  Maybe something that can be added to the inside of the downspout to make the water run down the inside of the pipe instead of falling and hitting the bottom of the 45* transition/outlet(10′ drop)

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Replies

  1. DanH | Nov 03, 2006 01:08am | #1

    Run a nylon rope down the downspout. The water will follow the rope rather than dripping. (Chain can also be used, but causes rattling problems.)

    Seven blunders of the world that lead to violence: wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, worship without sacrifice, politics without principle. --Mahatma Gandhi
    1. User avater
      PeteDraganic | Nov 03, 2006 06:09pm | #7

      Dan,

      That is an excellent suggestion/idea/solution.  I've never had to address such a problem but if I ever do, I'll hopefully remember this one!

      http://www.petedraganic.com/

  2. DanH | Nov 03, 2006 01:10am | #2

    Another option is to tilt the downspout to the side about 6 inches. But that's unsightly if the downspout is in a visible area.

    Seven blunders of the world that lead to violence: wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, worship without sacrifice, politics without principle. --Mahatma Gandhi
    1. DaveRicheson | Nov 03, 2006 04:04pm | #3

      Or if it transitions under a overhang, just pull the top of the downspout far enough toward the gutter drop to make it out of plumb. If it is a tight eave , stand the gutter off the house at the bottom, agian creating enough of an angle for the water to run down the d/s interior surface. It probably wouldn't take much in either case and from staright ahed the d/s would still appear plumb.

      Dave

  3. davidmeiland | Nov 03, 2006 04:54pm | #4

    I like Dan's suggestion of the rope and would try that and see if it works.

    On one job the owner asked us to make lead liners for the elbows so that dripping water would not fall on the aluminum. I went to the sheet metal place and bought a chunk of heavy lead sheet. It's like working with play-dough except you wear gloves. We made up some inserts that we could sneak inside the elbows and that was that. Did they work? Dunno... I don't live there, and if they didn't, the owner would be to embarrassed to tell me. Do they put lead in the soil? Maybe. The owner was an engineer, it was his idea... his insistence, actually.

    1. DanH | Nov 03, 2006 06:51pm | #8

      You could use rubber membrane material or some such, if you could get it to stick well enough.
      Seven blunders of the world that lead to violence: wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, worship without sacrifice, politics without principle. --Mahatma Gandhi

  4. User avater
    constantin | Nov 03, 2006 05:19pm | #5

    Another option:

    Use the same foam used to fill gutters to prevent leaves from accumulating (looks like a rough brillo pad). It'll allow the water to pass w/o issues but it should prevent the water from clattering. See gutterfoam, etc.

    1. DanH | Nov 03, 2006 07:29pm | #9

      You wouldn't want to put in something too rough, since it would collect leaves and twigs and clog the downspout.
      Seven blunders of the world that lead to violence: wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, worship without sacrifice, politics without principle. --Mahatma Gandhi

      1. User avater
        constantin | Nov 03, 2006 07:49pm | #10

        Hi Dan,You're right, the trick is to keep the accumulating stuff out of the downspout in the first place. I have had very good luck with the variant on gutterfoam that I have in my home's gutters, they keep them clog free and as long as there's wind, they also are swept clean from time to time. Another consideration for the downspout question: Thicker downspout with more mass. Just like CI pipes "sing" less as black water passes through them, so should a thicker downspout vibrate less as water runs through it. Another thing to consider is a pipe and clamp system where the downspouts are held in place with a bit of compressible rubber (Santoprene, for example) in between them and the hardware holding them to the wall. I'd bet a good chunk of the noise transmission is via the studs that the downspout is attached to.Lastly, there is the question of what the water is hitting to make the noise. Reshaping the flow may solve the problem (i.e. the rope approach).

  5. stikineriver | Nov 03, 2006 05:46pm | #6

    Another option:

    Tell them they got a deal. The water fountian in the back (to mimick falling water)  would have cost them thousands!

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