What is a rainwater downpipe?
What exactly is a rainwater downpipe?
Rainwater downpipes are, simply put, pipes that take rainwater down, into the ground. Water collected on the roof falls into downpipes and is then transported to the main underground drainage system, its sole job is to direct rainwater away from your home or building.
What are rainwater downpipes made from?
Traditionally rainwater downpipes were made using cast iron, however these are much less easy to come by now, as most applications use uPVC as it is cheaper. Aluminium is also an ideal material for manufacturing rainwater downpipes. This material is cast, cut, folded, pressed, fabricated, welded, formed and extruded to create our aluminium downpipes, downpipes fittings, downpipe brackets and accessories.
Do you really need a rainwater downpipe?
Part of Building Regulations require that adequate provision is made for the proper carrying and removal of rainwater from the roof of buildings. There are two ways to achieve this:
- Sloping roof towards a surface water collector
- A gutter that surface water can flow down to a vertical rainwater downpipe
Downpipes are normally found on the corner of your building or property, and it usually stretches from the roof down to ground level. Rainwater that goes into this drainage channel can be discharged to a few places, including:
- A soakaway
- A surface water sewer
- Combined sewer
