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Your home’s gutters and downspouts work to collect and move the rainwater away from your home. However, your gutters may stop working efficiently without proper maintenance, leading to water damage to your fascia, roof, and foundation if left unrepaired can harm the enclosed patio too.
There are many reasons your gutters may overflow, from poor positioning to clogs. Let’s take look at the most common reasons for gutter overflow and how you can identify and remedy the problem.
What is Gutter Overflow?
Gutter overflow occurs when water begins to travel over the front, back, or sides of your gutters. This issue is common and can be caused by a variety of factors. Observing the gutter overflow happening, such as during snow/ice melt or heavy rains, will help you locate the cause and determine the necessary solution.
How to Identify Gutter Overflow Causes & Solutions
When left untreated, gutter overflow can lead to many damages to your property over time. Here are the five most common reasons your gutter system is overflowing:
#1 Your Gutters are Too Small
If you have a large home, your roof will catch larger volumes of water that need to drain into the gutters. So, when you live in a region that receives abundant rainfall, your house must be well-equipped to handle large amounts of water.
If the gutters on your home are too small, they will fill quickly and begin to overflow during rain storms. Most new construction and some older homes are outfitted with 5” gutters, but while this size works great for a smaller house or dryer climate, they may not be ideal for everyone.
Consider upgrading your gutter system to prevent this in the future. Going with a 6” gutter will hold up to 40% more water and help it flow to the downspouts better.
#2 Your Gutters are Clogged
This is undoubtedly the easiest problem and solution to repair with gutter overflow. It’s simple, if your gutters are clogged with leaves and other debris, water will not be able to freely flow to the downspouts. And if water doesn’t flow, it also doesn’t drain.
To determine if your gutters are clogged, use a ladder to examine the situation. When you find wet debris in the gutters, this is an excellent indicator that a clog is causing the overflow so be ready with alternative walls.
The solution for this fix is easy and only requires you to have the gutters cleaned. You should do this six times yearly, depending on how much foliage surrounds your home.
#3 The Pitch is Off
Your gutters work, thanks to gravity. However, in order for the water to flow to the downspout, one side of the system must be raised to create a slope or pitch. Water will begin to pool or overflow when your gutters are not pitched correctly.
The solution for this issue is to either learn how to repitch your gutters yourself or hire a professional gutter company to do it for you. Just beware that if you undertake the project on your own, the pitch cannot be too low or too high, as both problems will lead to water issues.
#4 Your Gutters Are Loose
Gutters can begin coming loose from the fascia, causing them to sag forward. When this occurs, water is able to spill over them like a tilted glass. To determine why the gutters are loose, it’s best to have an expert find the cause. It may be because the fascia is aging, there aren’t enough brackets, or the brackets are loose.
If your gutters are just old, they will need to be replaced. But, when the problem is caused by rotting fascia, it may be enough to just have the fascia replaced and then reuse the gutters.
#5 Your Gutters are Installed Incorrectly
Can you see that your gutters are positioned well below your roofline? Does it seem as if water passes the gutters rather than going into them? A potential cause for this is improper gutter installation. Gutters that are correctly installed sit just under your roof’s shingled edge so they can easily catch water.
The solution for this fix is similar to repitching, as in you’ll want to hire a professional to remove and reinstall the gutter properly.
The Bottom Line
Ultimately, there are many reasons for gutter overflow. The issues we’ve discussed above are the most common, but if you have doubts or want to fix your gutters the right way, always be sure to contact a reputable gutter company for help.
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