Working With Downspouts.

Any time you buy a piece of downspout, you'll notice that one end is made smaller than the other.

The idea is to put the small end of one length into the large end of another piece.
Elbows, and gutter drops are also built with this in mind.

The thing to remember is that, since water runs downhill, the larger end needs to be the lower of the two pieces so the water runs from the smaller end of the upper piece down into the larger end of the lower piece.

Although you could install it the other way, water will tend to run out of the joint as it clings to the inside of the downspout and runs down it's length.


 

Now, what happens when you are using a cut off piece that may not have the small end available to use?

 

Simply make a small end out of a large one by "crimping" it smaller.

The pic on the left shows how I used a pair of needle nose pliers to accomplish this feat. In this case, I was working on a piece of dryer vent pipe but. this works anytime you're working with soft enough material and you need to make a smaller end out of a larger one.

In the past, I have used many other types of pliers as well. Just grab the piece and twist. Work your way around the pipe twisting in opposite directions with every other twist.