# An Observation Concerning Downspouts



## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

If, IF, you should ever consider removing downspouts in order to more easily paint them, and in order to paint behind them, be sure you figure out a way to identify where the pieces go, where the various sections go in each downspout, and which direction (up or down) each piece should be alined. After doing some on my own house where I didn’t label them as I removed them and then comparing that to the the ease of reassembling some where I did carefully label them, it was painfully obvious that attention to location and placement was hugely helpful.
I used a permanent marker ( just inside the openings) to indicate where each section was to go as well as it’s direction.
Just an observation that might save someone else from a headache.


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## CatJP (Jun 28, 2021)

I usually take them down one piece at a time and lay them out in that order. Paint them down on the ground. I NEVER take the straps off the house. Makes it way easy to put every thing back together


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## CApainter (Jun 29, 2007)

I have never removed a downspout to paint behind it. At best I think I removed a strap to lean one, or two outwards in order to paint behind it.

Again, this would be considered a "Specialty" procedure that absolutely requires a premium within the quote. I'd be comfortable charging at least three hours labor for each downspout I agreed, or offered to fiddle with.


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## Holland (Feb 18, 2011)

CApainter said:


> I have never removed a downspout to paint behind it. At best I think I removed a strap to lean one, or two outwards in order to paint behind it.
> 
> Again, this would be considered a "Specialty" procedure that absolutely requires a premium within the quote. I'd be comfortable charging at least three hours labor for each downspout I agreed, or offered to fiddle with.


I need to start charging more.


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## CApainter (Jun 29, 2007)

Holland said:


> I need to start charging more.


I think it's relative to what a painting contractor's procedures are. Some painting contractor's procedures include removing light fixtures, face plates, door knobs, hinges, shrubbery, downspouts, shutters, etc., while many other's include some, or none of those items. I'm sure the costs are built into the quote. But if it is not my typical procedure to remove downspouts, and the homeowner requests I do remove them...Cha Ching!


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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

I never removed them either when I did exteriors - as CA observed, it was just too labor intensive and an extra cost most HOs never wanted to pay. But this is my place and the time/labor was mine to invest - or not.


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## Wildbill7145 (Apr 30, 2014)

One thing I hate about taking them off to paint behind them is when you are reinstalling them and the metal scratches up the paint here and there requiring touchups. Holding a big length of down spout with one hand, a screw driver in another, all while desperately trying not to lose those little micro sized screws off an extension ladder does not lend one much accuracy.


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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

Wildbill7145 said:


> One thing I hate about taking them off to paint behind them is when you are reinstalling them and the metal scratches up the paint here and there requiring touchups. Holding a big length of down spout with one hand, a screw driver in another, all while desperately trying not to lose those little micro sized screws off an extension ladder does not lend one much accuracy.


So true. I had to do touch-ups yesterday after reinstalling them. Plus the screw heads then need painting since it’s a waste of time to paint those before putting everything back. For many years our gutters and downspouts were just the factory finish white - which was nice. But, eventually they get nicked and dinged, or, as in our case, a change in house color necessitated a color change in the trim.


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## Woodco (Nov 19, 2016)

I hardly ever remove downspouts, but whenever I did, I just kept the whole thing nearby, and in one piece. It seems like you are overcomplicating things


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## CApainter (Jun 29, 2007)

Woodco said:


> I hardly ever remove downspouts, but whenever I did, I just kept the whole thing nearby, and in one piece. It seems like you are overcomplicating things


You're talking about a guy who built a four hundred square foot model scale train set of Denver in his living room. This guy is complicated.


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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

Woodco said:


> I hardly ever remove downspouts, but whenever I did, I just kept the whole thing nearby, and in one piece. It seems like you are overcomplicating things


Sure, you can likely do that in many instances. But my place is two stories in the back and the downspouts are long and in multiple sections which are much easier to deal with individually - at least for me. But to be clear, the point behind my starting the thread was not to necessarily advocate dismantling them, but only to suggest that IF you do, just be sure to label them accordingly.


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## finishesbykevyn (Apr 14, 2010)

RH said:


> Sure, you can likely do that in many instances. But my place is two stories in the back and the downspouts are long and in multiple sections which are much easier to deal with individually - at least for me. But to be clear, the point behind my starting the thread was not to necessarily advocate dismantling them, but only to suggest that IF you do, just be sure to label them accordingly.


Not to mention, it just looks better when you take them down. Nothing worse when someone doesn't and you can see where they either didn't get paint behind the downspout or rather smeared paint all over them or both ..


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## Woodco (Nov 19, 2016)

Then you need to adjust your spraying technique.


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## Holland (Feb 18, 2011)

Took less than 2 minutes to unscrew the downspout to paint behind. 

…are some painters not doing even this much??


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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

IMO, the time spent in removing them is partially offset by the faster time in cleaning and painting them away from the house. Even more so if you set up some saw horses and 2x4s and spray them.
Plus, the siding behind them gets a better cleaning and paint job as well. But again, when I did exteriors I rarely removed them simply because of the extra time and cost involved. Though having a conversation about it with the HOs at bid time probably isn’t a bad idea. If nothing else, it gives them an option and removes any awkward, “Oh, I thought that was included…”, conversation later.


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## CApainter (Jun 29, 2007)

RH said:


> IMO, the time spent in removing them is partially offset by the faster time in cleaning and painting them away from the house. Even more so if you set up some saw horses and 2x4s and spray them.
> Plus, the siding behind them gets a better cleaning and paint job as well. But again, when I did exteriors I rarely removed them simply because of the extra time and cost involved. Though having a conversation about it with the HOs at bid time probably isn’t a bad idea. If nothing else, it gives them an option and removes any awkward, “Oh, I thought that was included…”, conversation later.


This is a slippery slope. The next thing you know, the painting contractor will be offering to remove the siding in order to paint the back side. There's a point at which a Best Practice can turn into a Mal Practice from a simple good intention.


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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

How so? Removing and putting back downspouts is pretty much a no brainer and certainly within the scope of painting an exterior. I know of many painters who wouldn’t think twice about removing a light fixture rather than try and paint around it, which is a much more inherently dangerous and liability fraught thing to do.
Lets face it, if we were so concerned that some action of ours were to result in an upset customer who would hold us responsible for something we did that negatively affected their home, none of us would be painters or part of any of the trades.


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## fromthenorthwest (May 2, 2012)

I pretty much always take off downspouts unless unless they are body color. If they're trim color or unpainted I take them off. At least for me it seems faster and easier than trying to mask them up especially where the straps are.. I always keep gutter screws on hand that are longer than the originals, so they don't come loose after we put them back up. Nothing like having to go back out to a job a couple months later to re-attach loose downspouts.


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## kmp (Jan 30, 2011)

I never take them off because I paint them the color of wherever they are, trim on trim body on body. Why accent something that doesn't match anything. A lot of times the things are put together with pop rivets and no way am I taking those apart.


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## Woodco (Nov 19, 2016)

Holland said:


> View attachment 112531
> 
> Took less than 2 minutes to unscrew the downspout to paint behind.
> 
> …are some painters not doing even this much??


I cant say Ive ever seen a downspout right on the body like that. Ive always seen them attached to a cornerboard, which is usually the same color as the downspout.

In that situation, I would probably leave it up and spray it the body color. If it needed to stay white, i would take it off though.


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## CApainter (Jun 29, 2007)

RH said:


> How so? Removing and putting back downspouts is pretty much a no brainer and certainly within the scope of painting an exterior. I know of many painters who wouldn’t think twice about removing a light fixture rather than try and paint around it, which is a much more inherently dangerous and liability fraught thing to do.
> Lets face it, if we were so concerned that some action of ours were to result in an upset customer who would hold us responsible for something we did that negatively affected their home, none of us would be painters or part of any of the trades.


Light fixture removal is also not part of my SOP. Unless, it's a simple set screw on a decorative collar where I don't have to fiddle with wiring. I'm not one of those painters that like to add work in an effort to have the HO's like me. It's up to them to make the effort to like me, not me. I'm extremely humble like that. To a fault.


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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

CApainter said:


> Light fixture removal is also not part of my SOP. Unless, it's a simple set screw on a decorative collar where I don't have to fiddle with wiring. I'm not one of those painters that like to add work in an effort to have the HO's like me. It's up to them to make the effort to like me, not me. I'm extremely humble like that. To a fault.


I don’t look at it as trying to win the HOs‘ affections, only that in some instances, removing the downspouts to achieve a better job _may_ make sense.


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## CApainter (Jun 29, 2007)

RH said:


> I don’t look at it as trying to win the HOs‘ affections, only that in some instances, removing the downspouts to achieve a better job _may_ make sense.


I think you're right that there are occasions where downspouts may need to be removed. But I would first suggest to the owner that they hire someone to remove and replace them before offering to do it for a premium. I'm guessing that most believe they can't be removed. Which is good.


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## ParamountPaint (Aug 25, 2016)

CApainter said:


> I think you're right that there are occasions where downspouts may need to be removed. But I would first suggest to the owner that they hire someone to remove and replace them before offering to do it for a premium. I'm guessing that most believe they can't be removed. Which is good.


I pretty much always pull downspouts on normal homes. Then I can show the homeowners all the old paint and crud on them and replace them with new.

Even if not replacing, it takes 5min max to drop them in the yard in one piece. Its worth it to me, so that I'm not dodging around them. In my view, its a time saver, which you can charge a little more for. Win win.

Sometimes, we just spray them the body color and transition them to the soffit or trim color when they bump out. That can look nice too.


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## Redux (Oct 27, 2018)




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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

I have seen the chain ones - sometimes on some really high end homes where it seems to be a style statement. Not sure how well they would cope with a really heavy downpour.


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## Holland (Feb 18, 2011)

RH said:


> I have seen the chain ones - sometimes on some really high end homes where it seems to be a style statement. Not sure how well they would cope with a really heavy downpour.


Rain chains work well, even in heavy downpours, provided there is place for all the water to go once it reaches the ground. Sometimes a French Drain is incorporated (or hidden) at the base.

They can be a problem, and not work at all, if the rain chain opening get plugged with debris at the gutter (which is more common than a traditional gutter/downpout, because the opening is smaller).

They can be beautiful to watch when it rains, and in the winter they freeze over and form an interesting frozen waterfall. They are typically solid copper, so they also form a patina as they age.


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## Chimpo (Aug 16, 2018)

kmp said:


> A lot of times the things are put together with pop rivets and no way am I taking those apart.


The rivets are a pain in the rear. I don't see how they saved the original aluminum installer and time or money over self-tapping screws. 

On most of my jobs, people want the down spouts painted white, like the soffit, and fascia. All three get grungy over time, and look like hell against a fresh paint job. My jobs are all single story residential stucco repaints, so the downspouts aren't a big deal. I use the sharpie trick so I don't get them mixed up too. 

I don't see how you would thoroughly spray the stucco behind them without at least loosening them from the wall and pulling them out a few inches. The ones around here are strapped tight to the homes.


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## fromthenorthwest (May 2, 2012)

kmp said:


> I never take them off because I paint them the color of wherever they are, trim on trim body on body. Why accent something that doesn't match anything. A lot of times the things are put together with pop rivets and no way am I taking those apart.


Makes sense to me, especially if they're older gutters with the rivets.

Most of the gutters I deal with are all screwed together, and can be taken down and re-installed in probably 5 minutes per downspout. A general rule of thumb I was taught when I started and I still use is, if something is painted, paint it, if it's not painted don't paint it. Same rule when deciding what goes body and what goes trim. Of course if the customer would like something different, I do that.


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## Kelby (May 21, 2021)

I do routinely remove downspouts and mark a piece of painter's tape to identify them, which I put on the inside.

Last year I had taken down a half dozen or so and it rained that night. Homeowner was mad as hell, complaining the water would get into and possibly crack his foundation. 

Put 'em all back up until it was time to paint around them.


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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

Kelby said:


> I do routinely remove downspouts and mark a piece of painter's tape to identify them, which I put on the inside.
> 
> Last year I had taken down a half dozen or so and it rained that night. Homeowner was mad as hell, complaining the water would get into and possibly crack his foundation.
> 
> Put 'em all back up until it was time to paint around them.


If a night of rain would cause cracks to occur, maybe it’s time he replace his mud foundation with a cement one. He might also want to rethatch his roof and siding too.
Some HOs are such idiots.


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## Kelby (May 21, 2021)

RH said:


> If a night of rain would cause cracks to occur, maybe it’s time he replace his mud foundation with a cement one. He might also want to rethatch his roof and siding too.
> Some HOs are such idiots.


Preach!

Was also the customer that wanted me to use up remaining paint he had from the previous job, had a gallon and a half. I noticed it was semi-gloss. "You mean, you want this sheen on the trim?" "No, that's what I use on the siding." You can see his house from space.

Speaking of downspouts, the neighbor had some down-on-their-luck guys do her house. No power wash, only one coat as far as I can tell. They also taped off the drip edge on the peaks, which I've never done, and it's still there...a month later. Good luck taking that off, now. They left various pieced of equipment for weeks, including a rolling scaffolding which is also still there. Downspouts and gutters remain brown, they color that was matched to the previous siding. It clashes a bit with the bright white trim on there now.


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## Holland (Feb 18, 2011)

Kelby said:


> Preach!
> 
> Was also the customer that wanted me to use up remaining paint he had from the previous job, had a gallon and a half. I noticed it was semi-gloss. "You mean, you want this sheen on the trim?" "No, that's what I use on the siding." *You can see his house from space.*
> 
> Speaking of downspouts, the neighbor had some down-on-their-luck guys do her house. No power wash, only one coat as far as I can tell. They also taped off the drip edge on the peaks, which I've never done, and it's still there...a month later. Good luck taking that off, now. They left various pieced of equipment for weeks, including a rolling scaffolding which is also still there. Downspouts and gutters remain brown, they color that was matched to the previous siding. It clashes a bit with the bright white trim on there now.


Lol!


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## ParamountPaint (Aug 25, 2016)

I don't really see the issue with rivets. 1/8 drill bit will drill them out in seconds and you can put them back up with zip screws, if you want.

I mean, you're already crawling all over the side of the house around them. It takes little effort to drill out a couple of rivets.


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## fromthenorthwest (May 2, 2012)

Kelby said:


> I do routinely remove downspouts and mark a piece of painter's tape to identify them, which I put on the inside.
> 
> Last year I had taken down a half dozen or so and it rained that night. Homeowner was mad as hell, complaining the water would get into and possibly crack his foundation.
> 
> Put 'em all back up until it was time to paint around them.


What a hot-head homeowner (HHO).


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## Respec (Sep 13, 2015)

We always take them down. I just think it makes for a more professional job. It is part of my pitch as a full service professional painting company. I do add a little time for it. If they are riveted in, as mentioned above, it drills out in a second, and then we put them back with self tapping screws or rivets. It's easy. Downspouts should always be installed with the higher spout inside the lower one. If they are put together the opposite way, they are not installed properly. This way, when water runs through the downspout, it has no way to run outside of the spout.


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## CApainter (Jun 29, 2007)

I typically leave touch up paint for the homeowner to fiddle around with if they want to paint behind downspouts, or vines. Too many people are out there looking for an injustice to hammer over your head. 

Homeowner- "Oh hi Jeff. I need you to adjust that grid thingy that holds up the Flowering Vine in my back yard. It looks like when you and your team removed it, it got bent somehow." 

Jeff- "Okie Doke. I'll be right over."


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## Redux (Oct 27, 2018)

https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.0d63bb1aedb13da24185b1ad639a318d?rik=a%2bqjr00g%2fIX3Tg&riu=http%3a%2f%2fhomestead-and-survival.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2015%2f10%2fman-diy-downspout-ideas.jpg&ehk=gGbcaZTC0Yc%2f8xsUmbue26PVx6rEPD3GEICFlarQeZE%3d&risl=&pid=ImgRaw&r=0


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## jennifertemple (Oct 30, 2011)

To my great delight, I have never been asked to paint downspouts! To paint behind them I just release in a manner such as Holland pictured BUT I do wrap them in plastic sheeting to mask them from the house or deck paint, I remove the straps, but, then, I do very few exterior jobs and inside I do remove light fixtures, face plates, door knobs, hinges, wall shelves and anything that will prevent a smooth continuous brush stroke or roll. For me, it simplifies everything. I think it makes a cleaner looking job, as well.


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## IKnowNothing (Oct 15, 2020)

Redux said:


> https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.0d63bb1aedb13da24185b1ad639a318d?rik=a%2bqjr00g%2fIX3Tg&riu=http%3a%2f%2fhomestead-and-survival.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2015%2f10%2fman-diy-downspout-ideas.jpg&ehk=gGbcaZTC0Yc%2f8xsUmbue26PVx6rEPD3GEICFlarQeZE%3d&risl=&pid=ImgRaw&r=0


LOL, Redux Sir, please stop posting selfies.


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## Chimpo (Aug 16, 2018)

Redux said:


> https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.0d63bb1aedb13da24185b1ad639a318d?rik=a%2bqjr00g%2fIX3Tg&riu=http%3a%2f%2fhomestead-and-survival.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2015%2f10%2fman-diy-downspout-ideas.jpg&ehk=gGbcaZTC0Yc%2f8xsUmbue26PVx6rEPD3GEICFlarQeZE%3d&risl=&pid=ImgRaw&r=0


Very girthy. 

Sent from my SM-G988U using Tapatalk


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## tomato head (11 mo ago)

Woodco said:


> I cant say Ive ever seen a downspout right on the body like that. Ive always seen them attached to a cornerboard, which is usually the same color as the downspout.
> 
> In that situation, I would probably leave it up and spray it the body color. If it needed to stay white, i would take it off though.


I thought the same thing! Like, what state is that in? Def. not in MI.


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## tomato head (11 mo ago)

I have the best answer… 
What I do is…. 
turn down exteriors. Lol
Meanwhile, in my weather controlled environment (inside) I remove everything that is removable, as any painter should. 
Then my very last day I am completely annoyed and impatient putting it all back together and tell myself: next job, I’m painting around all this B.S.,painters have gotten away with it for years…, then I remember, I’m not a crappy painter painting rentals lol


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