Finding yourself with overflowing gutters? This could quickly turn to water damage for your home.
In this article we will take a look at all the different ways that overflowing gutters can occur, and let you know what the best gutter overflow solutions are based on what you see.
What Causes Gutter Overflow?
There are a few different things that could cause gutter overflow or leaks to happen in your gutter system. A gutter overflow could be caused by a number of different things such as clogged gutters or pitch issues.
The best way to determine the cause of exactly what is going on, is to observe the water overflow happening during rain. Let’s go through the 6 most common reasons causing gutter overflow.
1. Clogged Gutter Downspout
The number one cause of all gutter problems, including gutter leaks and gutter overflow, is clogged gutters.
All debris that lands on your roof eventually washes into the gutters. If the debris is small enough and the gutters are configured properly, then the debris will flow right through the gutter and downspout system. As long as there are no obstructions in the downspouts. All it takes is one twig or leaf to get snagged in the pipe where it creates a traffic jam. Soon more and more twigs and leaves get stuck in the same spot until they obstruct the water flow and form a clog or blockage.
Once your downspouts become clogged with debris the water is not able to drain properly. What happens next is the gutter will fill up with water until the water starts to pour over the top. Overflowing gutters have many different looks. In the video below you can see how the water gently flows over the gutter face to where it eventually drips down.
To the untrained eye you may think that this gutter is leaking because of all the drips. We get it. The section that is dripping is about 10 feet wide! But make no mistake, the water is actually flowing across the front face of the gutter to where it drops once it reaches the underside of the gutter.
Solution
A thorough gutter cleaning should do the trick. In the case of downspout clogs, we recommend calling a professional as you will likely need additional tools to dislodge the clog.
2. Incorrect Gutter Pitch
Anytime we see water going over the end cap of the gutter we automatically assume the Gutter Pitch is off. All gutters are tilted or “pitched” so the water easily flows towards the downspout. Since water is not able to flow uphill all the gutters must be pitched in accordance with the downspout locations. Sometimes the downspouts are on the sides of the home and the water has to make it around a few corners to get there. As long as everything it pitched correctly the water will flow properly.
Whenever you see water going over the end cap or sometimes even leaking through the end cap the gutter is tilted the wrong way. The water should never not be moving towards the downspout. The solution to this problem is to have the gutter re-pitched to the proper direction. If the gutter was back pitched for a long period of time the end cap seal might have worn off. You’ll see the water seeping through the end cap if this has happened. To fix it you’ll need to re-seal the end cap with a waterproof based sealant. We always suggest scraping the old caulk away before applying a new seal.
Solution
To address the issue of gutter overflowing caused by incorrect pitch, it is crucial to ensure proper gutter alignment and angle. This will allow rainwater and debris to flow smoothly and efficiently through the system, preventing any accumulation and potential overflow.
Gutters that have become loose will leak or overflow in different ways depending on how loose the gutter is. For example a gutter that is slightly loose may only have a little water going behind the gutter that flows down the wall. Where as if the same gutter was about to fall off of the home all of the water would be pouring out of the gutter like a bucket.
When gutters become “Very Loose” the water usually forms a spout or a lip on the face of the gutter to escape. In the short video below we show a gutter that is starting to lean slightly and the water has formed a spout to escape, creating the gutter overflow.
If this gutter isn’t re-secured with new hardware soon it could fall of the wall. All it takes is one major storm. If you can see the inside of your gutter from the ground or street level chances are that your gutter is “leaning” or is “tilted.” Once the gutter tilts or leans the water will just fall out, causing overflowing gutters. Sometimes when the gutters are loose the gutter will fill all the way up with water. Then once it gets to a certain point the whole gutter shifts and dumps the water out on it’s own like a troth.