Rain Gutters Too Level

Improperly pitched gutters gutters need to be pitched toward the downspouts for the water to flow properly.

Rain gutters too level.

The most common gutter problem is blockage. If the gutter is too level it will hold a lot of run off water and risk becoming too heavy for the supports to handle. If there s standing water it s not pitched properly. The amount of collected water increases until it spills over the sides of the gutter.

The pitch of gutter heading towards a downspout can also cause overflow if it s too steep. Avoid hanging the gutter hangers too far apart. Gutters need to slope towards the downspouts in order to function properly. If gutters don t slope water gathers in them.

Typically a section of five inch gutter that is one foot long can hold up to 1 2 gallons of water whereas a section of six inch gutter that is one foot long can hold up to two gallons of water. Your gutters aren t positioned correctly. For your gutters to work properly they should slope down 1 2 inch 1 3 cm toward the downspout for every 10 feet 3 0 m by code. Gutters should slope an inch or two for every 40 feet.

Too much slope and the water can rush too quickly down the downspouts potentially causing erosion with even a moderate rainfall. The gutter hangers are the way you mount the gutter system to your home so they need to be spaced properly. Excessive wind water and debris can knock the gutters out of this alignment. They must also remain free of clogs holes and sags.

You want at least a quarter inch of slope for every 10 feet. That said gutters need to be completely level from front to back or water could spill over either edge. If gutters slope too severely they don t hold water and water could splash over the sides in heavy rain. If you leave too much space between the hangers the rain gutters will actually sag causing the water to pool instead of flowing through.

Get on a ladder after a rainstorm and look in the gutter. If the gutter is tilting away from your house it could be causing an overflow particularly during heavy storms. For example if the gutter is 16 feet long the end near the down spout must be 1 inch lower than the starting end. If the water doesn t drain to these downspouts it may end up pooling and causing damage somewhere else at your house.

The gutter slope also called the pitch is the amount the gutter tilts down to let rainwater flow out of it. Next place a ladder at the left side of the house and measure from the roof down to the gutter. If the pitch is too gentle water will just fill up in the gutters until it overflows and a too sharp pitch isn t aesthetically pleasing. How to check a gutter s slope to check the slope of your gutters you ll need a ladder tall enough to safely get to your gutter and a one gallon bucket of water.