How To Make Sure Gutters Are Sloped Properly

As your home s gutters collect rain they eject it through the nearest downspout.

How to make sure gutters are sloped properly.

Inspect each gutter section and the downspout for damage. This means that your gutter should be a half inch lower in height at every 10 foot mark until you reach the downspout. For example if the gutter is 16 feet long the end near the down spout must be 1 inch lower than the starting end. Sometimes this is easily fixed by adding another outlet or increasing the size of the existing outlet and downspout.

Use the line level to make sure the string is perfectly parallel to the ground. If there is any standing water in the gutter the gutter is not properly sloped. Next measure the length of the string and calculate how much slope you will need. The higher the slope the more capacity.

Put a temporary screw at the back to adjust the pitch. Ask someone to hold the gutter while you loosen and remove the gutter brackets or hangers. Get on a ladder after a rainstorm and look in the gutter. Snap a chalk line between the two and find the spots where the gutter is out of alignment.

To calculate gutter slope attach one end of a long piece of string to the highest point of your gutter and the other end at the location of your downspout. If your gutters are clean and seem to be sloped properly yet overflow persists your problem may be related to capacity. Gutters should slope 1 4 inch for every. Use a string level to ensure the string is completely parallel to the ground.

For spans longer than 40 feet it s wise to have a downspout on each end and start the high spot of the gutter in the center. While it is possible to make all the trade offs yourself you might want to consider allowing a professional gutter installer plan out your system for you. Multiply the number of feet by 1 16 inch to determine the total slope the gutter requires. Pull the gutter down about 3 quarters of an inch lower than it originally was.

To get started measure the side of the house directly under the gutter to determine its length in feet. To correct this yourself you ll need to measure from the peak to the downspout. The gutters on your home could be contributing to the mass of water collecting in your yard. If your downspouts are emptying into an area that runs uphill or tends to collect water it might be time to redirect your gutters.

Measure the length of the string to determine the distance between the two points. The gutter should have a quarter inch of slope per 10 feet. First determine the location of each one of your downspouts. Add support hangers or reattach gutters to the.

The standard slope for rain gutters is half of an inch for every 10 feet. Then fasten one end of the string at the highest point of the gutter and the other at the spot where the downspout will be. Moving from a 1 16 inch slope to a 1 2 inch slope increases capacity by more than 2 5x alternatively more downspouts can be added to the system. Surface area drained decreases with each additional downspout.

If there s standing water it s not pitched properly.