Drilling into vinyl fence slat

Hi all,

I am getting some water in the back corner of our 90 year old home. Basically just a bit of wetness that extends about 1 - 2 feet from the corner of the basement, and sometimes some additional wetness at a spot that is 1 to 2 feet from the corner. Even during the hardest rains, wettest weeks, we have only had this small amount of wetness, and in fact, there is a drain in that back corner to which any water flows.

The grading on that corner of the home seems good -- slopes away from the house, but a downspout does enter the ground at this corner. Based on some neighbor advice, I first tried to determine if there was some clog in the downspout. I ran a hose into the downspout and observed that the water came out the curb discharge as fast as it was going in. I also ran a 50 foot snake into the downspout and I didn't encounter any blockages. I guess at this point, I assume there is some crack in the downspout near the foundation that is allowing a small amount of water to come into the basement. There is a poured concrete slab where my downspout goes into the ground, so I guess I didn't want to undertake the time/expense required to repair this issue underground at this point. My other idea was to install a rain barrel/diverter and basically cease using this downspout for the time being.

So, finally to this particular question, my downspout is on one side of a vinyl fence, and I really only have a 13" x 21" space for a rain barrel. I was struggling to find a barrel this small, and thought that, instead, I could use a 55 gallon barrel on the other side of the vinyl fence (where there is room enough for almost any-sized barrel. However, if I do this, (I think) I would have to drill two (approximately) 1 inch holes in the vinyl fence slats. I am wondering if I will basically ruin the fence if I try to make these holes, or whether there are particular drill bits that I should use that would all me to drill successfully.

Why can't you go over the fence instead of through it?

Oh, and to House Repair Talk!

Thanks for the reply and the welcome! Unfortunately, the holes would be for the rain barrel intake hole and the exit hole. So, the intake hole has to be at the same level as (approx.) the top of the rain barrel. Although I guess I could put the rain barrel on a four foot stand -- although it would have to be very sturdy.

Just had a brainstorm that I could put a diverter on that downspout and then attach a sturdy hose to the diverter, and then just put the hose into the downspout. If I put 20 feet of hose down the downspout, I assume I bypass the crack/the corner of my house. I am sure there are reasons why this is as a bad idea -- for example, wondering if hose freezes during winter and then cracks -- although I could just spend 15 bucks for a new hose section every year.

Your downspout is attached to the perimeter drain and the perimeter drain is perferated, so when you get to much water it backs up against the house. You could just run another solid pipe for the downspout and attach it to the other pipe futher away from the house.
Having a water tank 4 ft off the ground would be good so you can use it for watering plants. Plastic drum is best. Hole saws come in all sizes and fit in a drill.