Yard drainage
Where downspout and yard water should go
Catch the water, carry it in solid pipe that falls at least 1/8 inch per foot, and discharge it at least 10 feet from the foundation. A pop-up emitter is the outlet when the yard slopes away. A French drain is the outlet when a bed should soak it in. A channel drain is the catch when water sheets across pavement.
- 1/8 in. of fall per foot
- 10 ft from the foundation
- Pop-up only on a slope
- Solid pipe until the outlet
Catch the water
Add a downspout adapter at the gutter. Add a catch basin for a lawn puddle. Add a channel drain where water crosses pavement.
Slope solid pipe
Run solid pipe away from the house at 1/8 inch of fall per foot. Keep perforated pipe and EZflow in the soak zone only.
Choose an outlet that can empty
Use a pop-up emitter on a slope, at least 10 feet from the foundation. Use a French drain along a wet bed. On a flat yard, ask before you bury a pop-up.
Pick the outlet first
The end of the pipe decides every other part
Buy the outlet that matches the yard. Then size the adapter, basin, and grate back from that pipe.
Parts we ship
Start with the piece that matches the problem
Pipe-by-the-foot is a trench measurement. These are the adapters, basins, outlets, channel, and French-drain bundles on the shelf.
Downspout adapter
Measure the downspout first. 3×4 inch gutters take the straight adapter to 4-inch sewer-and-drain pipe. 2×3 inch gutters take the offset adapter.
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3×4 in. to 4 in. pipe
$25.95
In Stock
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2×3 in. offset to 3 in.
$21.95
In Stock
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2×3 in. to 3 in. DWV
$24.95
In Stock
Catch basin
The 9-inch kit is the residential lawn drain: basin, grate, and two outlets. Use 12-inch when the grate takes a larger roof or a mower crosses it.
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9 in. basin kit
$87.95
In Stock
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9 in. basin only
$32.95
In Stock
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12 in. basin
$53.95
43 In Stock
Pop-up emitter
The lid stays closed until water pushes it open, so the outlet does not collect leaves. It only works downhill. The 430 includes the elbow and a 3-inch / 4-inch adapter.
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3 in. and 4 in., with elbow
$63.95
In Stock
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3 in. with elbow
$51.95
In Stock
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4 in. with elbow
$53.95
In Stock
Channel drain
Use channel where water sheets across a driveway, walk, patio, or pool deck. A lawn catch basin will not catch that flow. Check the grate load before you put one in a driveway.
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5 in. Pro channel kit
$104.95
In Stock
French drain
EZflow is the soak-in option: pipe already inside a mesh aggregate sleeve. The 10-foot stick with 4-inch pipe matches a typical 4-inch downspout run. Put it where the bed should absorb water, not along the foundation.
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10 in. × 10 ft with 4 in. pipe
$197.95
In Stock
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7 in. × 10 ft with 3 in. pipe
$154.95
In Stock
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15 in. × 10 ft with 6 in. pipe
$474.95
In Stock
Grate for leaves
A downspout-defender grate sits on the basin and strains gutter debris. An atrium grate does the same job in a planter. Lawn poly is not a driveway grate.
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9 in. downspout defender
$39.95
In Stock
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12 in. downspout defender
$58.95
In Stock
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Outlet adapter, 3 in. and 4 in.
$22.95
In Stock
Match the symptom
What to order
| What you see | What to use | Start here |
|---|---|---|
| Gutter dumping on the foundation | Downspout adapter into solid pipe | 3×4 adapter · 2×3 adapter |
| Puddle in the lawn | 9-inch catch basin | 9 in. basin kit |
| Water across a driveway or patio | Channel drain, load-rated if cars cross it | Channel drains |
| Yard slopes to a safe low spot | Pop-up emitter, 10 ft from the house | Pop-up emitter |
| Planting bed stays soggy | EZflow French drain in that bed | EZflow with 4 in. pipe |
| Flat yard, no downhill outlet | Dry well or pumped discharge. A pop-up will not empty. | Send a photo |
The steps people skip
A parts display does not show these
- Measure the downspout. 2×3 and 3×4 are different adapters. A wrong hub leaves a leak at the first fitting.
- Give the pipe 1/8 inch of fall per foot. That is about 1 inch of drop over 8 feet. Stake the trench and check it before you connect anything.
- Keep solid pipe and perforated pipe in their own jobs. Solid pipe transports. EZflow soaks. Mixing them wets the foundation or dries the bed you meant to water.
- Stop 10 feet from the house, still downhill, on your side of the property line. Discharge pointed at a neighbor’s yard is not an outlet.
- Match the grate to the load. Poly grates are for lawns and planters. A driveway needs the load class printed on that grate’s listing.
- Plan for leaves. Defender grate under a gutter, atrium grate in a planter. An open pipe fills in one season.
- Leave the sanitary sewer alone. Roof water goes to a surface outlet, a soak-in bed, or a permitted storm connection.
- Hose-test before backfill. Run water from the downspout until it exits the pop-up or the channel. Fix the sag while the trench is open.
- A flat yard is a different system. The black dry-well barrel on a store display is for yards with no fall. We do not stock that barrel. Send a photo and we will spec basins and pipe around an outlet that can empty, including a pump when gravity cannot do it.
Common questions
Where should downspout water go?
Into solid pipe that falls away from the house and discharges at least 10 feet from the foundation, still on your property. End in a pop-up emitter when the yard slopes to a safe low spot. Use a French drain when a bed should soak the water in. Use a channel drain when water sheets across a driveway, patio, or pool deck.
How much slope does a yard drain need?
At least 1/8 inch of fall per foot of pipe (about 1 percent). A spring-loaded pop-up emitter will not open, and the pipe will not empty, on a flat or uphill run.
Should I use solid pipe or perforated pipe?
Solid pipe moves water from the downspout or catch basin to the outlet. Perforated pipe and an EZflow French drain belong only in the zone where you want water to soak into the soil. A perforated pipe all the way from the foundation dumps that water against the house.
Catch basin, channel drain, or French drain — which one?
A catch basin collects a low spot in the lawn. A channel drain collects sheet flow off pavement. A French drain (EZflow) soaks water in along a wet bed. Many houses need two of these, tied together with solid pipe and one legal outlet.
What size catch basin and downspout adapter do I need?
Measure the downspout: most homes are 2×3 or 3×4 inches. A 9-inch catch basin fits a residential lawn. Step up to 12 inches when the grate takes more water or a mower crosses it. Match the outlet adapter to 3-inch, 4-inch, or 6-inch pipe.
What if my yard is flat?
Do not install a pop-up emitter. It cannot drain uphill. A flat yard needs a dry well or a pumped sump to a legal discharge. We stock the adapters, basins, pop-ups, channel, and EZflow for sloped and soak-in runs. We do not currently stock the dry-well barrel. Send a photo of the downspout and the low spot and we will spec the parts around an outlet that can actually empty.
Can I connect a downspout to the sewer?
Do not connect roof water to the sanitary sewer. A storm connection is allowed only where the city permits it. Discharge on your own property, at least 10 feet from the foundation, where the grade still falls away from the house.
How do I keep the drain from clogging?
Use a downspout-defender grate on a basin under a gutter, or an atrium grate in a planter. Hose-test the run before you backfill. Leaves in an open pipe are the usual reason a new drain fails in the first storm.
Shop the catalog
Send a photo of the downspout and the low spot
Tell us the downspout size, about how far the water needs to travel, and whether the yard slopes. We will point you at the adapter, basin, emitter, or French drain that fits. Free US shipping.
