5 Reasons for Overflowing Gutters and How To Fix It

Gutters and downspouts collect and move rainwater away from your home’s foundation. But if they don’t work efficiently, it can lead to water damage to your roof, fascia, and even your home’s foundation. Your home may be making too much of a splash for several reasons, including clogged gutters or poor gutter positioning.

Let’s break down the most common reasons your gutters are overflowing and talk about how to stop the problem once and for all.

1. An Abundance of Rain 

Problem: While the purpose of your gutters is to handle rain, frequent heavy downpours can cause overflows that result in sagging, breaking, or other telltale signs that you need to install new gutters.

If your home is located in a rainy climate, common aluminum and vinyl gutters may not be enough.

Solution: Consider upgrading to galvanized steel gutters that are designed to handle wet weather and downpours for up to 30 years without sagging or rusting. Due to the need for soldering, galvanized steel gutters require professional installation.

2. Too Few Gutters and Downspouts 

If gutters don't line your roof on all sides that are parallel to the ground, they may overflow. This is also the case with downspouts, the vertical pipes that send the water out of your gutters and into the ground away from your home. Too few downspouts can also lead to overflow because there aren't enough of them to pick up the slack. One downspout is required for every 25 to 35 linear feet of gutter to prevent overflow. You can also add extra downspouts to help the flow along if you're in an area with heavy rainfall levels. The maximum allowable length between downspouts is 40 feet.

3. Undersized Gutters

Problem: Small or insufficient gutters that can’t handle the water volume can lead to overflow. If you suspect undersized gutters are to blame, contact a roofing or gutter pro in your area to assess the size and quantity of your gutters.

“The most common gutter size is the 5-inch gutter,” says Jose Figueroa, Angi Expert Review Board member. “This size works well for ranches, small to mid-sized homes, and areas with less rain. But if you live in a rainy area or have a larger home with a large or steep roof, we always recommend the 6-inch gutters to our customers.”

4. Clogged Gutters and Downspouts

Photo: soupstock / Adobe Stock

Problem: You’ve likely noticed that a rainstorm can bring lots of debris with it, like leaves and branches. This debris can fill and clog your gutters and downspouts. With the debris blocking the movement of rainwater, it’s left with no option but to overflow. 

Solution: You can handle this problem by investing in clog-resistant gutters for your home or cleaning your gutters when the seasons change. This is a job you can do yourself if you’re comfortable on a ladder. You can also hire a pro to clean your gutters

5. Gutters Positioned Incorrectly 

Problem: During installation, gutters are lined up and placed at specific angles. Their position is important because it helps direct water flow down and away from your home. 

If you’ve checked for debris, have ensured you have the correctly sized gutters in the correct number, and are still dealing with overflowing gutters, the problem may be incorrect gutter installation.

Solution: If you suspect something is off, call a gutter installation pro in your area to have your gutter slope checked. Also known as gutter pitch, gutter slope refers to the angle of the downward slant of your gutters along the water flow path. While you can sometimes perceive that gutters are "off" with your eyes, it usually takes an inspection to confirm that you have an improper gutter slope.

What to Do When Your Gutters Overflow

Do your gutters look like they're filled with rapids from a raging river? Here’s what to do:

Clean Your Gutters

While you may need a bigger solution that involves a way to fix gutters pulling away from the house, fix sagging gutters, or fix a gutter leak once you get in to see the extent of the issue, the first step is to always ease the burden from your gutters by cleaning them. You can either do this by hand or by using a pressure washer.

Remove Debris By Hand

If you notice standing water in your gutter, the fix may be as simple as needing to clean the debris from your gutters. Grab a pair of gloves, a tall ladder, and a partner for this job. Remove all leaves, twigs, animal nests, acorns, and other forms of debris that could be clogging your gutters. If it's been a long time since you last cleaned your gutters, clearing them out may be enough to stop the problem.

If you can’t reach it all yourself or don’t feel comfortable on a ladder, hire a professional instead. The average gutter cleaning cost is about $166, which can be worth it if you don’t have the time (or fear heights).

Use a Power Washer

If the problem still persists after tackling the problem by hand, it’s time to grab your handy power washer. Cleaning gutters with a pressure washer is a great way to remove stuck-on issues like mold, grease, or mildew that can build up to be bigger issues down the road.

Install Gutter Guards

With gutter guard costs averaging $1,443, most homeowners will agree that this is a small price to pay to potentially save a home's roof and foundation from catastrophic damage. Gutter guards are protection systems that cover your gutters to keep out debris. Gutter guards are commonly made from aluminum, nylon mesh, or plastic.

While guards are great gutter drainage solutions that drastically reduce the amount of debris that can enter gutters, they also require cleaning and maintenance to ensure that clogs don't occur.

Schedule An Inspection

Get an inspection from some local gutter cleaners if your gutters are experiencing overflow. Even if you have already tackled some of the hands-on cleanings yourself, these pros can pinpoint weak spots or broken areas of your gutter system that are allowing overflow.

Gutter pros can also offer solutions for protecting or enhancing your gutters without doing a full gutter replacement—paying the full gutter replacement cost (about $1,161) that comes with it.