A simple solution to a complex problem
Every year in the United States, people spend nearly $5 billion on repairing property damage caused by water. ($3,000-5,000 for clean-up and $3,000-7,000 for French drain installation). Specifically, flooded basements, eroded foundations, mold/mildew growth, and standing water in their walkway (AKA breeding ground for flies and mosquitoes).
Currently there are two options for solving this problem: Expensive landscape changes or downspout extenders. (Another option is to do nothing, but we’ve learned that foundation repairs can require a second mortgage, so we’re not even going to go there).
Landscape changes: French drains, bubbler systems, and dry wells. These require significant time, labor, and money. We’re always running short on one, so onto the next option. (Plus, over time these fill up with silt, sediment, and roots. You won’t know that they aren’t working until your basement floods again. Pass.).
Downspout extenders: Coils, pipes, tubes, splash blocks, and hoses. Though these vary in shape and appearance, they are all devices that you attach to your downspout to route water away from your house. Perfect! Except they fall off the downspout, they leak, they kill your grass, you have to remember to attach and remove them, they’re a tripping hazard, they’re too short, they don’t roll out, they’re ugly, they’re in the way when you mow and garden, and basically, they don’t operate as advertised.
Why isn’t there a better solution to this common problem? Why hasn’t anyone created a functional, effortless, and more affordable product that just WORKS?
Well, now there is. And now we have. Say hello to the AutoSpout, the automatic downspout extender that you’ll never have to think about.
How it started
You might think to yourself: Why did it take so long for this product to exist?
Good question. Our founder, Rusten, bought his first home in 2015. Then, in 2017, his basement flooded because he had one of those coil extenders (which failed, obviously) and the water ran right down the foundation into his house.
It was expensive. It was messy. It was very inconvenient (suddenly the kids’ play area was underwater and that meant wild youths underfoot).
Rusten saw how the product failed and tested other options on the market. Some claim to roll out and roll back after it rains (spoiler, these do not work). Others are big ugly coils or aluminum downspouts that are bulky and trip the mailman. They all require maintenance and most of them either detach at the base or don’t route water far enough to be worth the effort. French Drains and dry wells seem cool, if you can afford that level of investment and maintenance. (We can’t.)
After considering the options on the market and talking to countless other homeowners, Rusten was determined to create a better solution.
How it’s going
Manufacturing is nearly complete and we will begin shipping AutoSpouts to our customers by the middle of 2022. We have worked through 12 different prototypes to ensure that the AutoSpout does its job as efficiently and discretely as possible. Thus, maintaining our effort to be reliable and transparent.
Speaking of transparency, the materials used to make the AutoSpout are 100% recyclable. These materials consist of plastic, rubber, and steel. If your AutoSpout is ever damaged, we request that you discontinue use and recycle it at a participating location.
As with a first production of any new product, there will likely be opportunities for improvement that present themselves throughout the process. In order to mitigate some of these risks, we have studied each version of the AutoSpout and have taken the best of each prototype to create the product that will arrive at your doorstep. Local production of the AutoSpout with top-rated manufacturers makes us confident you will receive a quality product on time.
OUR TEAM
Rusten Gomez
Founder & Inventor
Jim Killian
Chief Design Officer
Bailey Brooks
Chief Marketing Officer