The gutter system on your house is designed to catch and remove water from the roof and the down spouts are to direct the column of water away from the foundation. This system works well as far as collecting the water, but that is where the problem begins. Since the water has now been concentrated into a 4" tube and has a vertical fall of 8' or more, erosion is likely. Not only do you have an erosion problem; all the water that your gutter system has so efficiently gathered is now dumped right at the foundation just where you don't want it). So now to go along with your erosion problem you have a great possibility of having water (or moisture) under your house. If you already have a "water under the house" problem and your gutters aren't piped off away from the house, that could be the problem.

Some folks try to correct the problem by running 4" corrugated pipe along on top of the ground from the down spouts. This indeed gets the water away from the foundation but it looks bad having those pipes lying all over the lawn not to mention the aggravation of trying to mow around them. You also still have the erosion problem. You can run the pipes underground to the street curbs or to the property line but this is usually very expensive and may be against regulations in some areas. There is also a lot of labor involved.

These problems can be corrected by running the 4" pipe underground a minimal distance from the house (usually 8 ft. or so) and installing a DRAINBOX at the end of that pipe. By using DRAINBOX on all down spouts, these problems are corrected in a way that:

• Looks good - all that is visible after DRAINBOX is installed is a 4" square lid that is flush to the top of the ground. All pipes are underground out of the way.

• Requires less work and money - Since DRAINBOX enables you to terminate your drainpipes at any point, you save money and time by not going all the way to the curb or property line.

• Keeps rodents and snakes out - DRAINBOX totally encloses your gutter system (with the lid) making it almost impossible for pests to enter.

• Virtually eliminates erosion - By design, DRAINBOX turns the stream of rushing water back into itself causing a churning effect inside the box. When the water exits the DRAINBOX it is merely seeping posing no erosion problems at all.

Another great feature of DRAINBOX is that it is so simple to install that most any homeowner can apply them to his or her home in a single weekend. The only tool that is needed is a shovel. No special fittings or glue are needed.

DRAINBOX is inexpensive and is a permanent solution as it is manufactured of high density, UV stabilized plastic. A great weekend project that adds value and good looks to your home.