How to Unclog a Downspout
Updated
Short answer
Clear the outlet at the top, then find the clog by running a hose; take off the bottom elbow and clear it by hand; push a plumber's snake up from the bottom for stubborn plugs; flush and test. A pro charges about $25 to $75 per downspout to flush (Housecall Pro).
Steps
- From a safe ladder, clear leaves from the gutter outlet into the downspout.
- Run a hose into the outlet. If water backs up, the clog is in the downspout.
- Remove the screws on the bottom elbow and pull it. Most clogs are here or at the top elbow.
- Clear the elbow by hand. Push a plumber's snake up from the bottom for anything higher.
- Flush from the top until the water runs full and clear.
- Reattach the elbow and extension, pointed away from the house.
Don't
- Blast a pressure washer down from the top; it packs the clog tighter or drives it into a buried line.
- Work from a ladder on wet or frozen ground.
Ladder safety first: NIOSH counts more than 500,000 ladder injuries treated a year. See downspout cleaning to have it done.
Quick answers
What is the fastest way to unclog a downspout?
Take off the bottom elbow, clear it by hand, and flush from the top. Most clogs sit in an elbow.
Rather have someone else do it?
Tell us the address, how tall the house is and what you need. A local crew calls back with a price before anything is booked.