Both in houses and buildings, we find vertical tubes almost always in front of them. When it rains, we realize that the water passes inside them and up to the floor or asphalt. This large tube is known as a downspout.
Specifically, when we speak of a downspout, we are not talking about toilets, we refer to the vertically oriented conduit that connects the floor networks with the sewers – collectors or sewers through which the wastewater passes.
In this plumbing tool, the waters reach a speed of up to 8 meters per second at the time of their descent. In very tall buildings, at every certain height, the direction is changed with an angle of 30 or 45 °, thus preventing the liquid from taking too much speed.
Replacement Of Downspouts
There are two types of downspouts:
- The Wastewater: They work in conjunction with the drains. The latter evacuate the wastewater to the downspout and then be sent to the public sewer network.
- The Rainwater: They are responsible for collecting the water that falls on the roof when it rains and sending it to the drain. Its correct operation prevents damage to the roof structure caused by water stagnation.
Some of the characteristics that these implements should have are the following:
- Diameter Depending On Its Type: The residuals should be wider.
- Possess The Appropriate Falls: Necessary to evacuate the water quickly.
- Correct Joints: This will depend on whether there are no residue or water leaks.
Previously, downspouts in some cities were made of fiber cement. This material is made of cement and some other reinforcing fiber, the most common being asbestos or uralite due to its high mechanical resistance. However, this combination is no longer used today.
Blue asbestos, the type of asbestos fiber most used in construction in the 1920s to 1985, is the variation with the highest carcinogenic potential. For this reason, white asbestos was subsequently used until, finally, in 2002, the use of this material in the fiber-cement industry was prohibited.
At present, there are many places where we find downspouts that were made with fiber cement and asbestos. However, it is possible to change them using other materials such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
PVC is one of the most common plastic derivatives known. One of its main characteristics is that it has good resistance to electricity and fire. In the plumbing industry, the rigid type is used to ensure efficient repair if needed.
