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It has just recently started raining where I live, and I am new to this house. When the rain ceases and the water is dripping from the gutters through the drain, I can hear the dripping from inside the house. It is REALLY loud and is driving me crazy. The gutter drains are right outside my bedroom and the living room, so getting away from these areas is not an option.

Is there a way to get rid of (or greatly reduce) the dripping noise?

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6 Answers 6

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I'm surprised the dripping is that loud but there is a simple solution. Drop a some rope, such as heavy sash cord, down the drainpipe and attach top end in such a way that at least a couple of inches of the rope is sitting inside the gutter itself. The way this works is that the water will tend to run along the rope, which should ensure the water runs along the wall of the drainpipe instead of falling through the air.

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  • Love this idea.
    – Mike Powell
    Commented Nov 22, 2010 at 14:26
  • Great idea! (15 chars)
    – Doresoom
    Commented Nov 22, 2010 at 17:02
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    There isn't problemw ith the rope going moldy? (I guess you could use a synthetic fiber) ... and yes, for those of us in old houses, who have a recliner right near a corner w/ a downspout, it can be noisy enough to make you inspect the house for leaky pipes until you realize what it is. (and it only started after I had my gutters replaced)
    – Joe
    Commented Nov 23, 2010 at 11:06
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    @Joe, and if the rope does get moldy, what harm would that do? By all means use synthetic if that's a concern for you. A galvanised chain would also work.
    – John Gardeniers
    Commented Nov 25, 2010 at 9:15
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    ... and in fact here's a photo of it. Left hand side. flickr.com/photos/fantomning/112445864/in/set-72057594082016636
    – tomfanning
    Commented Oct 9, 2011 at 17:14
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Stick a sponge at the bottom the drips will land quietly on it and when it pours the water still flows through.

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I found a pretty good way of stopping the noise. I cut some 5 mm thick rubber to the same width of the gutter then slid it in so it went just past the angle. It has poured down and they still run freely. So I hope this works for you.

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Here's a VERY simple solution.

I've had this problem for over a year and it's been driving me crazy. I finally found an incredibly simple solution, and it's especially good because I'm in an apartment where I'm not supposed to be "fixing" anything anyway.

Take a scrap piece of wood and wedge it between the building and the pipe at or slightly above the elbow that has been causing all the noise. This should move the elbow away from the building about 1/4" to 3/4". If it's anything like my place, the noise will stop immediately. Now the water drops land silently on the side of the pipe about 6" above the elbow, instead of slamming into the bottom of the elbow.

It's probably best to do this fix while the noise is happening so you'll know whether it works for you or not.

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    As long as you don't force the drain too far this should be a good "temporary" solution.
    – ChrisF ♦
    Commented Dec 2, 2012 at 22:23
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Try cleaning your gutters and down spouts, then instead of dripping through, the water would run out in a stream, making less noise and getting done quicker.

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Make sure the outlet on the gutter is touching the side walls of the downpipe.That will also insure the water running on the inner wall af downpipe and fall down the centre.Is it aluminium?

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