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5 Reasons For A Clogged Rain Drain

10 September 2021 by Bill Turner

A rain drain hooks up into your roof gutter system's downspout. The drain routes the water underground and to a drainage catchment of some sort. Like any other drain, a rain drain can become clogged.

1. Shingle Granules

It's not uncommon for a rain drain to become clogged following a major storm, particularly hail storms. The cause is shingle granules, which are gravel coating on your roof's shingles. These can become dislodged in major storms, although they also begin to come off as the shingles age. The granules flow into the gutters and down the rain drains where they may cause a clog. Fortunately, a drain service can clear the blockage.

2. Gutter Debris

Debris in the gutters can also end up in the rain drain. Debris includes twigs, dead leaves, moss, bird nests, and anything else that may accumulate in a dirty gutter. Cleaning the gutters regularly minimizes the amount of debris that ends up in the rain drain. Otherwise, you will need to have the rain drain cleaned to remove the clogs causes by the debris.

3. Root Incursion

A rain drain won't attract tree roots as badly as a sewage drain since it only supplies moisture and not the dense nutrient of sewage effluent. Yet, some tree roots will occasionally force their way into the rain drain. Your drain service can use an auger or a hydro jet to blast out the tree roots and clear the path again for proper drainage.

4. Pipe Damage

Sometimes a rain drain pipe simply suffers damage. Common causes are shifting soils and external pressure from nearby tree roots. Sometimes a drain service can force through an auger to straighten out and reopen a partially crushed drain. In other cases, you may need to replace the rain drain line. 

5. Clogged Catchment

Rain drains may empty into a municipal storm drain. If there is a clog at the outlet into the storm drain or in the storm drain itself, then your rain drain will backup. Some rain drains empty into a dry well instead, which is an underground gravel pit designed to allow the water to seep back into the ground water. Debris that has gone down the drain can clog the drywell so water won't infiltrate properly, which may require a repair or rebuilding of the drywell pit.

Contact a drain cleaning service if you notice overflowing water at the top of the rain drain. They can locate the issue and clear the drain so it flows properly.

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