Most of us don’t have the tools of professionals to complete DIY tasks around the house. But you don’t always need those tools. You can complete many tasks just as well with other more everyday tools and materials. It might not be as convenient, but you can still get it done.
For instance, how do you crimp a downspout without the crimper the professionals use? You can use a household tool to make the crimps. You can bend the downspout tube by squeezing it with your hands. You just need to find a way to make the downspout and the elbow fit together and stay.
Let’s look at the options you have for crimping a downspout without a crimper. It’s not as difficult as you may think. Keep reading to find a method that works for you.
Why Crimp a Downspout?
You want to have a downspout coming from the gutters of your home to allow the water to drain from the roof. Sometimes we need to replace those. If you’ve ever tried to replace one, you know that the pipes don’t fit into one another without adjusting the end of one.
When you crimp the end of the downspout, it fits into the elbow, which allows you to put the two pieces together. It also secures them in place. Professional home builders use a crimper tool to do this.
What Does a Crimper Do?
Essentially, a crimper deforms one of the metal pipes. The purpose is to allow the two pieces to slide together and to hold them there.
A crimper is a hand tool that you squeeze. It makes a ripple in the outer edge of the metal downspout. The ripple is called a crimp.
Deforming the end of one of the pipes makes it where one fits inside of the other.
How Can I Crimp a Downspout without a Crimper?
One of the easiest ways to crimp your metal downspout without a crimper is with a pair of needle-nose pliers. You’ll use them to make two crimps on each side of the downspout.
Use the pliers to grab one of the sides about an inch from the corner. Hold the pliers closed tightly and twist them to make a ripple in the metal. Do the same about an inch from the other corner on that side.
Repeat the process above for all sides of the downspout pipe. When you’re finished, the pipe will slide into the end piece above the elbow.
Will Other Types of Pliers Work for Crimping?
You can use other types of pliers, but not all of them. You’ll need to look for pliers that are narrow at the nose. They don’t have to be as thin as needle-nose pliers, but they won’t work if the nose is too wide. Wide pliers will deform the tube too much.
Crimping with Vice Grips
You can use vice grips to crimp a downspout just like you would pliers. You’ll use them to make ripples on all four sides of the tube. As with the pliers, make sure you’re using vice grips that are narrow enough to keep the crimp small.
Crimping with Your Hands
Downspouts are often made of pliable metal like aluminum. That allows for easy crimping and fitting together. It also allows some people to fit the tubes together by simply squeezing the end of one, making it small enough to fit in the other.
Ok, so this works to fit them together. It doesn’t take a lot of strength to crush the metal inward, making the end small enough to fit into another piece.
The problem with this is it doesn’t do anything to address holding the two tubes together. Crimping with your hands isn’t really crimping at all. It’s just crushing. The ripples of the crimp act like clamps to secure and hold the tubes together.
Get Creative with It
You can get creative with using items to make the crimps. Basically, you need something that will hold the metal of the downspout tube tight enough to allow you to twist the crimp into it. You may even be able to do it with a pair of scissors if they’re not so sharp they’ll cut the metal.
Anything you can find to make the ripple in the edges of the tube so it fits into the end of the other tube can work. You can brainstorm some ideas using tools in your garage.
Conclusion
The bottom line is you don’t have to have a crimper to crimp your downspout. You can use any kind of pliers that are thin enough to create the ripple in the metal. Needle-nose pliers are probably your best bet. You can also use vice grips or anything else that scissors together.
Just remember, the crimp does more than make the end smaller, it also secures the tubes together, so don’t just squeeze the end of the downspout closed.
