Downspout Diverter Secrets

The humble Downspout Diverter is these days becoming not so humble, as it becomes a top selling item due to the popularity of Rain Barrels. Which I suppose makes sense. If you’re going to install a rain barrel you’re definitely going to need a downspout diverter.

Recently I went and made some rain barrels out of some old plastic barrels, but before I did I went and conducted some research on downspout diverters. As it turned out, lucky I did because what I found out actually changed the original design of my rain barrels.

The first thing I discovered was that most downspout diverters come in a white, green or a beige color but none that actually matched the color of my downspouts so I was also going to have buy some paint as well so the downspout diverter wouldn’t look so odd positioned on the wall of my house.

Most downspout diverters were also large and cumbersome and can be seen from some distance. Some aren’t the most discrete items to attach to the side of your house so my advice would be to find a downspout that’s shielded by a fence or some garden shrubs to attach your downspout diverter to. The other option is to find a more compact diverter, to which there are some on the market.

Another important thing to note about rain barrels, is that they do fill with rainwater fairly quickly as they only hold about 55 gallons of water. Therefore the obvious problem is what to do with the excess rainwater once the rain barrel is full. The downspout diverters I researched had this problem covered but they did appear though to have some short comings in there solution.

Some downspout diverters have a hand operated lever that diverts rainwater back into the downspout when the rain barrels are full. This sounds like a great idea and it does work but it also requires someone to be present to operate it which may not always be practical when it’s raining.

Other downspout diverters automatically divert the rainwater back into the downspout. This appears to be a much better system as it doesn’t require anyone to be present. The only problem with this design is the diagram displayed the inlet back into the downspout to be smaller than the original downspout. This could potentially be a problem during heavy rainfall. Downspouts are made a certain size for a very good reason and that’s to account for a worst case scenario during heavy rain. So if water is diverted back into the downspout the inlet should be the same size as the downspout.

Therefore diverting rainwater back into the downspout is one way of redirecting excess water. Another way is to direct the water from your rain barrel’s overflow directly into your garden. The important point to consider is, the size of the overflow should be equal to or larger than the inlet so once again rainwater can escape unhindered. If you do decided to use this option it’s always best to install some means of selecting whether you want to direct rainwater to the garden via the overflow or back into the downspout if you are receiving excessive rainfall. Remember it’s always great to harvest and store as much rainwater as possible but when you are getting excessive rainfall you should always have a means to redirect the rainwater back into the downspout or somewhere where it can escape and not become a problem.

Mosquitoes can also be another problem that accompanies rain barrels in some areas. Some downspout diverters have solved this problem by sealing the connection between the downspout diverter and the rain barrel inlet. This is the preferred option as you know all the water will be directed to the rain barrels but if you are using a downspout diverter that is open at the end make sure you use a screen on the rain barrel inlet which will not only keep out mosquitoes but also any debris from your roof and gutter.

Some downspout diverters also require rain barrels to be positioned near the base of the downspout or in close proximity. This may not be an issue in some instances but if this isn’t your preference there are downspout diverters that do allow you to position your rain barrels some distance from the downspout. This can be beneficial if you’ve made some rain barrels from some old plastic barrels as you can then place the rain barrels in a more discrete place rather than having to go to the trouble of positioning them next to the downspout and hiding them behind a screen or some shrubs.

Another difference between the downspout diverters I looked at was the size of the inlet from the diverter to the rain barrel. Some downspout diverters had outlets the same size as the downspout. These designs ensure that large quantities of rainwater can be directed to the rain barrel during heavy rainfall which ensures the rain barrel will fill with rainwater quite quickly. Other designs use a much smaller hose connection which has the ability to seal the connection to the rain barrel.

This then led me to ponder which would be the better method, a large inlet to my rain barrel or a smaller hose connection that was sealed. Therefore I decided to put it to the test and just make my own downspout diverter. The method I decided on was the second option and decided to use some 1 inch poly hose to connect my downspout diverter to my rain barrels.

So for the last few months I’ve been testing my downspout diverter and discovered my rain barrels fill quite quickly when it’s raining and the 1 inch poly hose is more than sufficient to direct lots rainwater to my rain barrels.

Therefore if you’re thinking of installing a rain barrel you’re going to need a downspout diverter and they all have their good and bad points. Hopefully now though you have enough information to make up your own mind in deciding which downspout diverter is best for you.