Gutter overflow is a serious problem, one that must not be ignored, one that should be prevented in the first place. Why? Because when rain gutters overflow, homes get damaged. Excess water will most likely cause damage to the roof, fascia, and siding. If the problem continues and no measures are taken, there might be an internal leak. Naturally, due to the excessive weight, the gutters will be damaged too. And don’t let me get started about the possibility of mold growth. In short, overflowing gutters are a disaster.
Think about it. What do gutters do? Simply put, your residential gutters are installed to divert rain water away from the roof toward the downspouts and thus, on earth. And so, any problem with the gutters but also with the downspouts may cause a rainwater overflow. Let’s take a closer look at these problems.
Clogged gutters, clogged downspouts
You most likely hear often about the importance of gutter cleaning. That’s to avoid situations like that. When the gutters are not cleaned from time to time, they are clogged. Twigs, leaves, dirt, debris – anything may land to the gutters and thus, block the water from flowing. Some dirt is unavoidable even if you install rain gutter guards. Depending on which ones you choose and also, the quality of the gutter guards installation, the problem may be limited. And so, guards may prevent gutter overflow.
As a rule of thumb, the most common reason for overflowing gutters is the overaccumulation of debris and flying items. The bad news is that some of these items may end in the downspout, making it even more difficult for the water to find a way away from your home.
What you should do is check the gutters. You can have a gutter service contractor checking their condition and cleaning them after storms, and regularly every spring. Perhaps even every autumn, if it’s windy in your location.
Insufficient number of downspouts
Not all roofs are the same. Nor have the same size and shape. And so, the number of gutters and most importantly, the number of downspouts you need is subject to your roof. A gutter service company can tell you how many gutters and downspouts you need at your roof. Overall, there’s a need for a downspout every thirty or forty feet. The simplest way to say this is that every gutter section must have its downspout. But this is not always the norm since the number of downspouts also depends on the roof slope, type, size, shape and the gutter size.
But if there’s not an efficient number of downspouts, the rain water will not have time to flow away from the existing downspouts and if the rain continues, the gutters will overflow. The right way to solve this problem is to have your roof checked and possibly downspouts added.
Wrong size/type of rain gutters
The gutters vary in terms of type, style and most importantly, size. Which gutters are best for you depends on the roof slope, type, and size! You must also take into account the location’s climate and the frequency/intensity of rainfall. Simply put, if the gutters are too small and it rains a lot and heavily in your location, chances are they will eventually overflow.
Heavy rainfall, gutter problems
The heavier the rainfall, the higher the possibility of gutters overflowing. Once again, this is subject to how many downspouts are they installed and the size of the gutters. But heavy rainfall is often a reason for overflowing gutters. Now, if the gutters are also dirty or pretty damaged, the rainwater will overflow sooner than later. So, dirty gutters and heavy rainfall is a bad combination. Sometimes, it rains so hard that even if the gutters are of the right size and free of debris, they may still overflow. But this is seldom to happen and so, the solution is to have the correct, high-quality gutters installed, gutters that can take the weight of heavy rain.
