Gutter Problems
A summary of common gutter problems, especially those that affect your gutter guards on your home.
If your gutters weren’t installed correctly, or if they’re just too worn out, you’ll have all kinds of problems – whether or not you’ve got gutter guards. Contact Gutter Guards Direct for a free evaluation and estimate. We work with customers in Ohio, eastern Indiana, northern Kentucky, Tennessee, southern Michigan, and western Pennsylvania.
Common gutter problems, and when they affect your gutter guards
We tend to go whole-hog. Many of our customers ask us to replace their gutters, in addition to giving them gutter guards that will (finally) work. They’re fed up with both.
Homeowners often ask about new gutters spontaneously. Usually the topic of new gutters comes up when a customer asks why the old gutter guards don’t work. Half the time that’s just because of a poor choice of gutter guard, and half the time it’s because of both the gutter guards and improperly installed gutters. We explain how the gutter system affects the gutter guards’ performance, and we walk through the pros and cons of getting new gutters while we’re already up there. We let our customers tell us what they want done, and we do it.
When might you need new gutters in addition to new gutter guards? Even if you only want new gutter guards, what are possible reasons to consider new gutters, too? Here are the main gutter problems that can affect the performance and lifespan of your gutter guards:
Problem 1: Overly narrow gutters. It’s likely you have 5-inch or even 4-inch gutters when you need 6-inch or even 7-inch gutters. If the gutters are too narrow, you can’t get the right gutter guard to fit in properly: at the right angle, with no gaps, and no material sticking out over the edge of the gutters. Of course, the whole point of having gutters at all is to control where the water flows, and that doesn’t happen when your gutters are too small. So that alone is enough of a reason to replace the whole gutter system, and if you do that you’ll need new gutter guards, too.
Problem 2: Gutters installed too high on the fascia board. If there’s not enough vertical space between the top of the gutters and the bottom edge of the shingles, then the gutter guards will lie flat (or too flat). They’ll probably keep most debris out of the gutters – at least for a little while. But soon leaves and other debris will just sit flat on them, clog the gutters, and render your whole gutter system useless. You should install gutter guards at an angle that roughly matches that of your roof pitch.
Problem 3: Gutters installed too low on the fascia board. This isn’t as common a problem as gutters that are installed too high, but the results are similar. There’s too much distance between the outer edge of the gutter and the bottom edge of the shingles, so you can’t run the top edge of the gutter directly under the first course of shingles. In this case, not only will there be a big vertical gap in which debris can collect against your fascia board, but also the gutter guards will probably end up lying flat, allowing debris to sit rather than roll off or blow off.
Problem 4: Sagging gutters. Gutter guards are meant to fit snugly, and in a run of gutter that’s straight. If the gutters are bent, not only will the installation be trickier, but the new gutter guards will also be more likely to pop off. The gutters will probably sag even more over time, making your gutter system less and less effective at discharging water. All the while, the workmanship will look shoddy, and your home will look like a place where people just wing it.
Problem 5: Damaged gutters. Like anything else, gutters have an expiration date, even if they were installed OK. An otherwise functional run of gutters may get damaged while you try to get the old gutter guards off of them, usually because one piece gets stuck to another piece over time. Your old gutters may be approaching the Pearly Gates anyway, and removing the gutter guards might finish them off. You can ensure that both your gutter guards and your gutters work effectively together for many years to come.
Whether you have those problems or other problems affecting your gutters – and gutter guards – we can help. If you’re tired of taking half-measures, and you’re considering new gutter guards and new gutters, contact Gutter Guards Direct. We create functional gutter systems for customers in Ohio, Indiana, Western Pennsylvania, Southeast Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee, and have done so since 1996. Contact us today for a free consultation and estimate.