10 Signs Your Gutters Were Installed Incorrectly
Here's how to tell if your gutters were installed incorrectly
Highlights
Standing water is the biggest red flag that your gutters were installed incorrectly.
Causes of gutter failure range from improper installation techniques to mishandling of gutter parts.
Hangers, downspouts, and other accessories could also be to blame for failing gutters.
Not every house requires the same gutter size.
It's smart to have a pro look at the issue to get to the root cause of why your gutters aren't working.
Was there a gutter blunder when your gutter system was installed? Gutter overflows, pooling water, tilting, and visible cracks could all indicate that something is wrong with your gutters. These eight signs of incorrect gutter installation can help you get some clarity on why your gutters aren't clearing out!
1. Standing Water
If you notice water pooling around your home's foundation, then you might even see water making its way into your basement or crawl space. The entire point of a gutter system is to divert water away from the base of your home. Over time, water that pools around your home can lead to dramatic and expensive foundation damage. You may also deal with erosion issues and destroyed landscaping.
Gutter overflow is a leading cause of unexplained standing water near your home. When gutters become clogged or damaged, rainwater and melted snow will pool inside your gutters until it flows over the sides.
2. Not Enough Downspouts
Have you counted your downspouts yet to ensure you have enough for your gutter system? Downspouts should be placed every 20 feet in a gutter system. Some issues that might require extra downspouts include:
A larger roof
A steep roof slope
Small gutters
A wet climate
While it's sometimes possible to space downspouts 30 to 40 feet, this ratio really stretches a gutter's capabilities to its limits. If you're noticing pooling water around your home, consider a lack of downspouts as one of the potential culprits before doing anything else.
3. Wrong Gutter Type
Your gutters may simply be mismatched with your home. The wrong "type" can refer to anything from a gutter's material to its style.
Steel, copper, and zinc gutters are considered the sturdiest types of gutters. While aluminum is affordable, easy to paint, lightweight, and resistant to rust, it's generally considered a flimsier option. While popular vinyl gutters are also considered durable and affordable, they can be prone to becoming cracked or brittle in extreme climates.
It's impossible to say which type of gutter is "best" for your home because the answer can vary based on your local climate, the style of your home, and the type of debris that accumulates in your yard. This is one of the reasons why having your home assessed by local gutter experts is highly advised when upgrading your gutters.
4. Improper Gutter Sizing
Your gutters may fail because they are simply too small for your roof. When gutters are too small, it's easy for your gutter system to become overwhelmed in heavy rain or snow. When this happens, your gutters may pull away from your home. Choosing the correct gutter size may be a fast and easy way to prevent gutters from pulling away from your home.
A too-small gutter system can also lead to clogs and standing water in your gutters, which is a breeding ground for mosquitoes, mold, and mildew. Gutter drainage solutions in these situations simply involve replacing your gutters with the correct gutter size for your home.
Standard gutters come in 5-inch and 6-inch styles. However, some homes require specialty gutters. In some cases, you may only need a specialty size in a specific portion of your roof. Factors that can influence the gutter size needed include the size of your roof, your roof's pitch, and your local average rainfall totals.
5. Gutters Are Leaking
Gutters can leak for several reasons, including clogs, cracks, warpages, holes, poor slope, and shifting. But if your gutter installation is to blame, then you'll need to fix the installation itself to prevent further leaks. Oftentimes, it’s your gutter slope that’s to blame for leaks in your gutter system.
A gutter system’s slope should be around 1/4 inch per 10 linear feet of gutter material. You should also place a downslope every 30 feet. This allows for rainwater to effectively flow toward your downspouts without overflowing and causing leaks in your gutters or overwhelming your downspouts.
6. Poor Hanger Spacing
Gutter hangers are pieces of hardware used to secure your new gutters to your home. While a gutter hanger may seem like an afterthought, this accessory is nearly as important as your gutters for creating a reliable system. There are several types of gutter hangers, and some may work better than others at supporting your gutters.
When hangers are spaced too far apart, they become vulnerable to sagging after heavy rain or snow. It is common for improperly spaced hangers to begin pulling away from the roof due to pressure from pooling rain or melting snow. Gutter hangers should generally be placed every 2 to 3 feet.
7. Too Many Seams
A gutter seam is a point where two sections of the gutter system meet. Gutter seams are extremely vulnerable to separation. For this reason, gutter installers do their best to keep seam placement to a minimum when installing gutter systems.
If you have deep concerns about seams, local gutter installers may be able to set you up with seamless gutters that are made to order for the length of your home. Seamless gutters cost more than gutters with seams, but they tend to work better and have a longer life span than traditional gutters.
8. Forward Tilt
While subtle, this issue can lead to gutter failure that causes water damage to your home. Gutters must be 100% level from front to back. However, many homeowners hang gutters with the front edge slumping forward when doing DIY projects. You may be able to tell that your gutters are tilted just by looking at them from the ground level. However, that's not a guarantee.
If you're trying to diagnose the cause of gutter failure, you'll need to get up to your gutters with a level to check that everything is even.
9. Downspout Is Disconnected
Heavy rain, ice, hail, and even animals can knock a downspout out of place and leave your gutter system out of sync. Other times, an improperly installed gutter system can shift and loosen the downspouts. If you have a disconnected downspout, then the water traveling toward the downspout will flow out of the opening and straight to your foundation, where it can lead to foundational damage.
When you notice water pooling around the perimeters of your home and suspect your downspouts are causing the issue, consider checking your downspouts for the following:
Loose connections
Downspouts facing the wrong way
Clogs
Once you've identified a disconnected downspout, a close inspection will help you determine whether or not you need to replace the downspout. If your downspout is severely bent, cracked, or ill-fitted for your gutter system, then you’re better off replacing it.
10. Damage During Installation
Gutters are notoriously fragile. This is especially true of common aluminum gutters. If any portion of your gutter system is dropped, crushed, or bent during installation, it's very possible that you'll end up with cracked, warped, or dented gutters that will make your home very vulnerable to water damage.
Make sure that any piece that falls during installation is replaced with a new piece! It's also helpful to work with a company that offers guarantees for gutter installation.
Should You Contact a Pro?
If you suspect that clogged gutters or pooling water could be caused by incorrect gutter installation, knowing who to call when gutter leaks plague your home is essential. Local gutter installers can inspect the issue to give you a definitive answer. In addition to diagnosing the problem, experts can fix sagging gutters, address the issue that is causing gutter failure, or provide you with a quote for gutter replacement costs.
Frequently Asked Questions
While minimal drippage may not be problematic, gutters that are constantly leaking or overflowing indicate damage or improper installation. A rain chain gutter or other ornamental feature may produce more dripping than usual. Likewise, rain dispersal systems may also cause water to sprinkle to the ground. However, if you notice pools of water or flooding around your property, then it’s a good idea to have your gutter system inspected.
Properly installed gutters should be able to function normally in heavy rains. Allowing water to overflow can cause water damage around your home's basement or foundation. If the overflow is caused by a simple clog, paying a gutter cleaning cost of $125 to $250 may be enough to get the gutters running clear again. If there's a larger issue, you may need to repair or replace your gutters.