"Hey, Honey can you hear that? It's raining again."
"You know Hun, as soon as it stops raining, we need to get those downspouts fixed."
"Fixed?"
"Well at least something to help with the noise!"
But you know how it is, when the rain stops, it's outside to get a few chores done. Usually, the ones left from yesterday! Later you stop for some lunch and a cup of something hot, to warm up your insides. Then just as you are taking that last swig from your mug, it starts raining again!
I think you get the idea. Days like that, are why some chores simply don't get done!
Truthfully noisy downspouts are not a problem during the day. Everyone is busy and the noise blends into all the other activities surrounding you...But at night, when it is late, and you can't sleep, that noise in the downspout is all you hear... and that my friends, is a completely different story! And one I got tired of telling.
One such product that caught my eye was nothing more than a sponge that you placed in the crook of the downspout where it would absorb the falling water and according to the manufacturer, all of the noise. Really? But have you ever heard the noise bouncing off of a sponge laying in the sink under a drippy faucet? A sponge has the capacity to hold water and when the capacity is reached, essentially you have a noise reflecting mass.
That product along with many others did not come home with me.
So I thought and thought a little bit more and came up with this idea. The sponge product confirmed my suspicion that the crook of the downspout is where the trouble begins. It is the first flat surface raindrops come in contact with, after falling 20 to 30 feet.
Items needed for this project:
This is how I made Downspout Noise Mufflers...
Remove the bottom section of the downspout. You will need to make sure of how many "scrubbies" you will need to stack together, for a gentle but snug fit, to avoid a washout in heavy rain. But not so snug as to plug up the exit, preventing the rainwater from flowing out.
Stack the required number of "scrubbies" to fit your downspout.
Insert the tied "scrubbie" up to the 45ish degree bend, in the downspout piece.
But you know how it is, when the rain stops, it's outside to get a few chores done. Usually, the ones left from yesterday! Later you stop for some lunch and a cup of something hot, to warm up your insides. Then just as you are taking that last swig from your mug, it starts raining again!
I think you get the idea. Days like that, are why some chores simply don't get done!
Truthfully noisy downspouts are not a problem during the day. Everyone is busy and the noise blends into all the other activities surrounding you...But at night, when it is late, and you can't sleep, that noise in the downspout is all you hear... and that my friends, is a completely different story! And one I got tired of telling.
Being a somewhat creative do-it-yourselfer, I came up with this frugal solution, after a visit to my local home improvement store.
When I walked up and down the aisles, there were lots of remedies. Some of which I believed would have worked. But one thing was clear, noisy downspouts are a fairly common problem and not just at my house. Unfortunately, the price of these solutions seemed way out of proportion for what was actually in the box.Others I felt would never have worked and might have actually added to the noise issue!
One such product that caught my eye was nothing more than a sponge that you placed in the crook of the downspout where it would absorb the falling water and according to the manufacturer, all of the noise. Really? But have you ever heard the noise bouncing off of a sponge laying in the sink under a drippy faucet? A sponge has the capacity to hold water and when the capacity is reached, essentially you have a noise reflecting mass.
That product along with many others did not come home with me.
So I thought and thought a little bit more and came up with this idea. The sponge product confirmed my suspicion that the crook of the downspout is where the trouble begins. It is the first flat surface raindrops come in contact with, after falling 20 to 30 feet.
Plop, Plop, Plop!
But the concept was, disperse the rain and you can eliminate the noise.
This bag of "scrubbies" from your local dollar or variety store does not have the capacity to hold water. They will not fill up with water. But what they can do is break (disperse) the flow of the rain falling down the spout, and dispersed water does not make noise...Let's get started!
This bag of "scrubbies" from your local dollar or variety store does not have the capacity to hold water. They will not fill up with water. But what they can do is break (disperse) the flow of the rain falling down the spout, and dispersed water does not make noise...Let's get started!
Items needed for this project:
- plastic "scrubbies"
- plastic twine
- scissors
- crochet hook or large eyed needle
Now we are ready to begin!
This is how I made Downspout Noise Mufflers...
Remove the bottom section of the downspout. You will need to make sure of how many "scrubbies" you will need to stack together, for a gentle but snug fit, to avoid a washout in heavy rain. But not so snug as to plug up the exit, preventing the rainwater from flowing out.
Stack the required number of "scrubbies" to fit your downspout.
Pull out and cut off a piece of twine long enough to thread through the stacked "scrubbies", tie securely, and have enough of a tail to be able to grasp when you need to service the downspout mufflers.
Insert the tied "scrubbie" up to the 45ish degree bend, in the downspout piece.
The tail should be hanging below the nested "scrubbies". So that you can grab it for removal when needed.
Next, reattach the bottom section to the end of the downspout that is attached to your house.
You need to know that this is not a once and done, forever application.
You will need to remove the "scrubbies" (and the reason why you left a long-tail) in order to clean out any debris that may have fallen from the roof into the gutter and down the spout.
You need to know that this is not a once and done, forever application.
You will need to remove the "scrubbies" (and the reason why you left a long-tail) in order to clean out any debris that may have fallen from the roof into the gutter and down the spout.
Regular cleaning of the "scrubbies" will prevent water from baking up in the downspout because of a clog. (yes, I do know from experience...)
Leaves will be your biggest challenge. But that 5 minutes of maintenance every week or so, is worth it for a better night's sleep!
Leaves will be your biggest challenge. But that 5 minutes of maintenance every week or so, is worth it for a better night's sleep!
This inexpensive solution will not eliminate all the noise, but you will be sleeping a whole lot better the next time it rains!
UPDATED: 12.12.2023
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Very clever!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteSounds like that fixed your problem but I love to hear it rain, yes, even water coming from the downspouts!! Thanks so much for linking up at #IMadeItMondayLinkParty 2. Shared.
ReplyDeleteOh I too love the sound of rain, but not in the downspout during the middle of the night when I should be sleeping...This little trick does a good job.
DeleteNow, that's a smart idea! I love the pitter-patter sound of rain, but not the gushing sound. :) Visiting from Wonderful Wednesday bloghop.
ReplyDeleteJennifer, thanks so much!
Delete