Gutters overflowing in heavy rain
Water pouring over the edge means the gutter cannot take what the roof is sending it. A clog is the usual reason, but not the only one.
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The short version
- Most likely cause
- A clogged gutter or downspout.
- Safe to check
- Where the water spills, and whether water leaves the downspout.
- Call an installer when
- Clean gutters still overflow, or water runs behind the gutter.
Safe to check from the ground
- Watch in the rain to see where water spills.
- Check that water is flowing out of each downspout.
- Look for sagging sections holding water.
- Look for staining on the fascia below the spill.
Call an installer when
- Gutters overflow right after cleaning.
- Water runs between the gutter and the fascia.
- Water pools against the foundation.
- A section has pulled away from the house.
Why a gutter cannot keep up
- A clogLeaves at a downspout opening block the whole run above it. The gutter fills and spills at the low end.
- The wrong slopeA gutter that has sagged or was hung flat holds water where it should be draining.
- Too smallOne inch of rain on 1,000 square feet of roof is about 620 gallons. A large or steep roof can overwhelm a small gutter.
- Too few downspoutsA long run with one outlet backs up in a downpour. Adding a downspout is often the fix.
What an installer will do
- Clear the gutters and downspouts and test the flow.
- Check the slope of each run.
- Compare the roof area with the gutter size and outlets.
- Rehang, add a downspout or move up a gutter size.
Water that spills beside the house does more than splash. Soaking the soil at the foundation, storm after storm, is how gutter problems become basement and crawl space problems.
Gutter cleaning: what you are paying for
Gutter pulling away from the house