Gutters play an important role in protecting your home’s exterior from the elements and the water damage wind, rain, and snow can cause. It is important that they are installed properly so that runoff is efficiently channeled from the roof and deposited away from the foundation of your house. But when gutter installations are not done correctly, costly problems such as a flooded basement, multiple leaks, and wood rot can quickly grow worse.
Water overflows from the gutters when it’s raining.
When water spills over the edges of the gutters during a regular rainfall – not a rainstorm or a period of heavy rain – it is a sign that the gutters were installed incorrectly. Overflowing gutters cause damage to the roof, siding, fascia, and the landscaping. Reasons runoff is filling the gutter channel and spilling over include:
- Insufficient gutter slope – they might look like they stretch straight across your home’s exterior, but gutters should slope ¼ inch every 10 feet toward the gutter outlet (downspouts)
- Gutters are too small
- Downspouts are too small
- Not enough downspouts – one downspout for every 20 feet of guttering
Water hangs around in the gutters.
Standing water is runoff that does not flow into the downspouts, but sits instead in the gutter channels. This can cause worn seams, debris buildup, and corrosion (aluminum gutters), rusting (steel gutters), or brittleness (vinyl gutters). Standing water because of insufficient gutter slope could be a sign of poor installation techniques.
Gutters are mismatched with your home.
Homeowners purchasing new gutters often ask “What is the best type of gutter I can buy?” The answer actually depends on several factors including: local climate, the architectural style of your home, its size, and the kinds of trees growing on the property.
It might be installed correctly, but a specific type of gutter system could be wrong for your home if it doesn’t have the capacity to handle the amount of runoff, is constructed of a material that not suited to local climate conditions, or the gutter profile is incompatible with the style of the house. Examples of mismatches that can impact the effectiveness of a gutter system include:
- Half-round gutters installed on a steep roof – water on a steep roof can pick up speed and overshoot the gutter channel completely
- 5-inch gutters in a high annual rainfall area – 6-inch will be able to handle larger volumes of runoff
- 5-inch gutter system on a large roof – large houses/mansions need high-capacity (6-inch or 7-inch) gutters
- Vinyl gutters in climate zones subject to moderate to extreme fluctuating temperatures
- Vinyl gutters in forested areas or mountainous terrain prone to wildfires
- Aluminum gutters in areas with consistent active winds – aluminum can be easily impacted
Gutters sag or pull away from the fascia.
There should be no gaps between the back of the gutter sections and the fascia. Gaps allow runoff to get in behind the gutters, resulting in fascia wood rot and damage to soffits. If gutters are sagging or pulling away from the fascia, it could be a sign that the hangers were installed too far apart. Gutters sections could also be sagging because the right type of fasteners weren’t used or the hardware was not properly secured.
Water pools underneath downspouts near the foundation.
Water pooling underneath the downspouts close to the foundation of your home is another common indicator that the gutters were incorrectly installed. Over time, runoff that is not drained a safe distance from the house can cause cracks in the foundation, soil erosion, damaged landscaping, and basement flooding.
