Underground Drains
 

I added a birdcage about a month or so to my house, and the contractor added a gutter as part of the project, with a downspout that empties just about an inch or so from the concrete pad my AC unit sits on. I guess I should have questioned this at the time. This week, I had gutters added to the rest of the house, and the gutter contractor showed me that a hole is already forming from the downspout that the birdcage contractor added, and told me it will just grow larger with time, encroaching on the concrete pad my AC unit sits on. The gutter contractor is coming back today to install an underground drain on downspout next to my AC unit, as well as one as another underground drain on the downspout at the front outside corner of my garage. Just curious, do most people have underground drains installed to manage the rain runoff from their rooftops?

We do, answer is "yes"

Quickest way to get concrete to crack in future years. .

yes

Mine go underground.

No. I had the gutters extended to run all the way out to edge of my birdcage and away from my house. Now all of the water empties far away from my home with no issues. I do have several stepping stone at the bottom to each downspout to break up the flow.

Our rear downspouts empty into rock beds. Our front downspouts go underground all the way to the curb.

Have you considered relocating the downspout a few feet to avoid the HVAC unit?

Another option, downspout extension.
Lowe’s & Home Depot.

We have whole-house guttering, and all downspouts connect to underground drains. The drain lines are perforated pipe that terminate at popups out in the yard. Most rainwater gets absorbed into the ground through the perforated pipe, but during very heavy rains the popups come into play, distributing the excess far away from the house and planters. This setup works very well.

I think most do not have these although we do. The reason I think so is people shop by price for additions/birdcages and few think about the small extras that make the installation 'complete'.

Good stuff, learning about all this as a first-year “newbie” to TV, thanks for your helpful replies.

Water next to a foundation is a recipe for disaster. Need to get the water discharge distance far away. A pile of rocks or "stepping stone at the bottom" does not get the water away from the foundation (slab).

Yes, we have them.

We have both, drains on the lawn, and underground drains. The underground drains need to be cleaned out periodically, as the grass roots seem to be able to penetrate the joints, also, you need to make sure the grass does not over run the pop-up or other type of drain. All 3 of ours were clogged and overrun with grass, took a while to find them and clean them out.

Good point, and right on the money. Part of my regular maintenance schedule is cleaning around the sprinkler donuts and popup drains every 3 months. This is especially important with the St. Augustine grass used at homes south of SR-44. It doesn't take long for this type of grass to spread over the popups, especially during the rainy season.