How To Stop Heavy Rainwater From Overshooting The Gutter

Gutters are great for keeping rain where it belongs — away from your house. Your gutters add an aesthetic appeal to your home, but their real purpose is to direct rain away from your home’s exterior and foundation and prevent water damage. But during a downpour, what do you do if rainwater overshoots the gutter?

If rainwater overshoots your gutters, make sure to clean out gutters regularly. When too much debris accumulates in your gutters, the rain has nowhere to go but over the edge. If your gutters are clean, there could be an issue with the gutter system, too few downspouts, or your gutters are too small.

Your home’s gutters are there for a reason, so if they aren’t working properly, it can lead to some major issues. Make sure your gutters are in good shape before the next downpour. Maintaining your gutters can save you a lot of headaches and expenses from more serious issues such as mold, water damage, and foundation problems.

You may think rain coming over the sides of your gutters is no big deal. After all, it’s already falling from the sky, so what’s the difference?

The issue is where the rain ends up when you have working gutters as opposed to when you don’t. The rain comes down, enters your gutters, and the gutters carry the rain to downspouts that direct the rain away from your home’s foundation. Your gutters also protect the landscaping around your home.

But if heavy rainwater overshoots the gutters, then the rain ends up pooling around your home’s foundation. Over time, this can lead to erosion and major foundation problems.

It can also damage siding, create mildew and mold problems, and lead to roof issues. Unless you live somewhere that never experiences heavy rain, working gutters are essential.

Before you assume the worst, grab a ladder and examine your gutters. If you can’t remember the last time you cleaned out your gutters (or you never have) then this is likely the issue.

Over time, leaves, sticks, branches, and other debris end up in your gutters. If no one removes this build-up, then it accumulates, leaving less and less room in your gutter for rainwater.

When it rains, the water doesn’t have anywhere to go if your gutters are clogged. When there’s a downpour, there’s too much rainwater at once. The water fills up your gutters quickly thanks to all of the debris in the way, and it ends up spilling over the sides.

The water can also potentially collect along your roof lines. This excess water collects in all the places you don’t want it to go, leading to damage and other problems. Take a closer look at how to clean your gutters below.

In some cases, if water is continually overshooting your gutters even though they’re clean, it could be a fault with the gutter system. It’s important that you have appropriately sized gutters for your home. It’s also necessary to have enough downspouts.

Typically, homes have a downspout roughly every 30 feet. However, depending on your home and unique situation, you might require more than this.

Also, even though your gutters may appear level to the naked eye, there should be a slight downward pitch. This slope is to direct water toward the downspouts and prevent resting water in the gutters. (Resting water not only can lead to overflowing gutters, but it’s also a breeding ground for mosquitoes.)

If you regularly clean out your gutters, it’s worth calling a professional to assess your current setup. They can check the pitch, downspouts, and also make sure you have the right sized gutters installed.

Sometimes, issues with the gutter system stem from problems with your roof design. If your roof was improperly or poorly installed, the people doing the gutters might not have had any choice.

One common issue is in the roof valleys (where two planes meet on a downward slope). If you notice the rainwater overshooting your gutters just in these areas, there could be too much water collecting in the valleys at once. Contact a roofer to examine these spots.

A professional may need to install splash guards at the edge of your gutters where they meet the end of a valley. The water will then hit this guard and drop into the gutter instead of shooting over the edge.

Get a couple of buckets that you can attach to your ladder. One to hold your tools and one for debris. Alternatively, you can position a large trash can near the bottom of your ladder to dump debris into.

Wear safety goggles and gloves as you’re cleaning your gutters. Start cleaning out debris near a downspout and work toward the closed end of the gutter.

There should be strainers that keep debris from going down your downspouts. Remove these, hose them off, and put them back in place. You can get most large items, like branches and twigs, using your hands. For smaller debris, use a gutter scoop or small trowel.

If the gutters are clean but you notice the water is coming out of the downspouts slowly, there could be a clog in the spout. You can use the hose to flush out the downspout and try to remove the clog.

If this doesn’t work, try a plumber’s snake. If this still doesn’t do the trick, you might need to call a professional to assess the situation.

Not a fan of regularly cleaning out your gutters, don’t have the time, or are physically unable to do so? Then you might consider getting a gutter protection system, like Leaffilter. However, do your research first, as these systems can be pricey and not always worth it.

If your gutters are working properly, then they’ll direct rainwater away from your home’s foundation. If you notice rainwater overshooting your gutters, it can lead to water damage, mold, and other unpleasant problems. There are several potential reasons for overflowing gutters, and the most common is debris buildup.

Therefore, making sure gutters are clean and free of debris and clogs is the first step. Also, check downspouts for any potential blockages. If the rainwater has nowhere to go, it’s going to spill over the edge of the gutters.

If your gutters are clean, there could be issues with the gutter system or roof. Inadequate downspouts, improperly sized gutters, or the lack of a slope toward downspouts can lead to overflowing water. In some cases, it could be a poor roof design to blame for your gutter woes. If any of these are the problem, you need to call a professional roofer to come assess the situation and resolve it.