# vibrating down spouts!



## Flightsport (Jan 18, 2013)

Recently had new Windows and siding installed. With that came new clips for the down spouts.  We knew something was wrong during the first wind storm when it sounded like a freight train.  It was like our house became a huge woodwind instrument. When the wind blows hard enough, the down spout acts like a reed and vibrate against the trim.  VERY loud in the house, hard to sleep!  Looks like if I reset the screws so the spout is slightly further from the trim, this would solve it.  Any suggestions?  See pics and vid clip below.






The video...

 [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtfIVFztNJI&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/ame]


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## oldognewtrick (Jan 18, 2013)

Have your installer come back and install the rest of the down-pipe straps. That should stop the movement.


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## CallMeVilla (Jan 18, 2013)

That would be irritating  ...  Additional clips in that area would stop the flexing.   Immediately, you could buy a length of insulating foam tubing used for hot water pipes.  The tubing comes with a slit down the length.  Cut 6" sections off and slide them between the downpipe and the house.  Problem solved until the added brackets get installed.


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## nealtw (Jan 18, 2013)

Oldog, Are you sure that adding more just won't change the pitch or tone. The old style just may be better at stopping the outside of the pipe from vibrating.


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## mudmixer (Jan 18, 2013)

The vibration is oviously a result of the wind.

I live in a 30 year old "quad home" ( 4 - 2 story units each on the corner of a rectangular building. The gutters are on the long side of the building with a down spout at each end. Due to the weather and trees, the old gutter downspout system was replaced with larger sizes and all gutter guards and similar things were tossed to eliminate water and maintenance problems. - With the new system, it is surprising to see leaves blowing up the downspouts under certain conditions, so the wind does strange things.

When they installed the seamless gutters with prefab corners (8 per gutter), they put in an extra downspout support that was near the midpoint of the downspout, but not at the center. I asked the installer why it was not centered on the drop he said it was done to intentionally break the length into an odd dimension (1/3 or 3/5 of the length) to confuse or eliminate the vibration, if it tried to occur.

A simple solution to a high tech problem.

Dick


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## Wuzzat? (Jan 18, 2013)

More straps 
or 
spacer blocks between the spout and the wall 
will change the resonant frequency of the spout to something outside of the range that most wind can produce.

Foam blocks behind the spout may damp out the vibration and would work in much the same way as a crankshaft harmonic balancer.


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## oldognewtrick (Jan 18, 2013)

nealtw said:
			
		

> Oldog, Are you sure that adding more just won't change the pitch or tone. The old style just may be better at stopping the outside of the pipe from vibrating.



They should have a strap at each length of pipe. There won't be any flexing if another strap is added. When you just have a slip union, there is nothing to stabilize the pipe joint. Add a strap, no more problem.


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## JoeD (Jan 18, 2013)

I agree with more straps to solve the issue.


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## BridgeMan (Jan 18, 2013)

And make sure the noises aren't (at least partially) caused by the new siding, all by itself--assuming it's vinyl.  Some of the lower-end vinyls on the market can be pretty flimsy.  I remember being able to walk down our street in a Colorado subdivision on a moderately windy day, and most of the vinyl-sided houses would creak and twang, loudly enough to be heard from the street.  I never looked into the exact causes of the noises, and it could have been materials and/or workmanship.


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## Wuzzat? (Jan 18, 2013)

You may be able to test the spout fix with a leaf blower.  The airspeed is way higher than most wind but the energy delivered to the spout will be pretty small.

I'll take a WAG and say 
if the blower makes the spout vibrate then the fix is not good but
if the blower doesn't make it vibrate then the fix may still not be good.

You could test this test procedure on your neighbor's downspouts, with their permission of course!


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## Flightsport (Jan 20, 2013)

I've stood next to the downspouts in the wind and have seen the vibration first hand ( see video ).  So definitely not the new siding ( hardie plank, cement composite claps, expensive-high end stuff, pvc trim..).  

Lots of great suggestions.  The installer said he was coming back to correct the issue.  Not sure if it will be additional straps or resettinging the screws so they're further from the house.  I love the clean look of the invisible clips, maybe he can just use more...


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## nealtw (Jan 20, 2013)

I still think the key is straps, these plastic things holdit away from the building with one screw on the back side. New is not always better.


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