What is a Gutter? Gutters are a critical component of your homes’ water management system. They help manage water shed from rain and direct it away from the home’s exterior.
Gutters are shallow channels attached to the eaves of a roof, designed to catch rainwater and funnel it away from the home. They’re typically made from aluminum (often seamless and extruded on site), vinyl (PVC), steel (galvanized or painted), copper, zinc, or wood with waterproof liners. Copper and zinc offer exceptional durability and aesthetics; aluminum is light and rustresistant; vinyl is cheap and DIYfriendly. Many modern gutters are “seamless gutters” formed using rollforming machines at the installation site, reducing leak points. Precut sections joined with connectors are still common too. Gutters are mounted to fascia boards using brackets or hidden hangers. Other components include end caps, inside/outside miters, drop outlets, downspouts, elbows, and splash blocks. They’re not strong enough to hang off of if you fall off a ladder 😊
Where should the Downspouts be discharged?
While it’s common for gutters to discharge out onto a splash block, that is not ideal. In fact, we want to the downspout to terminate as far from the home as possible or into some sort of catch basin, like a French drain (we’ll write a post on French Drains in the future).
In our opinion, properly managing water discharge at gutters would go a LONG way in preventing a lot of foundation issues.
Why? Because, if you are dumping all the water collected by the roof into a single spot, over time, that can create issues with the foundation or create additional water leaks etc.
While it may not sound like much, a little or a lot of rain can exponentially increase the amount of water being deposited next to the foundation if the gutters aren’t extended.
With 1 inch of rain on a properly functioning gutter system serving a 1,500 sq ft roof, expect to collect approximately 700–750 gallons into downspouts, assuming the system is clean, intact, and well-maintained.
As you can see, the amount of water being handled by the gutter system can become excessive quickly! Especially when we get those big 3 or 4 inch Missouri rains!
What are some Gutter Recommendations and Maintenance Tips?
- Inspect the system regularly: Check for sagging, leaks, clogged downspouts, and loose brackets.
- Clean at least twice a year: Remove debris manually or with tools (even if you install guards)—don’t skip this, especially in tree-covered areas.
- Choose the right material: Copper or aluminum offers longevity; vinyl is pricier in the long run. Consider local climate and aesthetic needs.
- Ensure proper slope: Gutters should pitch roughly ½ inch for every 10 feet toward downspouts for reliable drainage.
- Install splash blocks or drainage extensions: These redirect runoff away from the foundation and reduce erosion.
- Hire a qualified pro: For installation or serious damage, bring in a licensed professional to evaluate, repair, or replace the system properly.
Should a Gutter Discharge directly onto a roof? – No, it should discharge directly into another gutter.
One Last thing, if you have a multi-level home, your gutters should not discharge directly onto the roof. They should discharge into a lower gutter. If gutters are discharged directly onto a roof surface this can cause additional problems for the home such as:
- Increased/Premature wearing of the shingles resulting in a shorter replacement cycle or water leaks
- Overloading a lower gutter, resulting in water splashing back up onto home, leading to moisture issues.
- Increased potential for leaks
A real-life example that we’ve encountered is where a second story gutter was being discharged directly onto the roof. This created a scenario where rain runoff from multiple roof surfaces were being managed by a single gutter that was only about 12 inches long and 4 inches wide. The gutter did not have the capacity to manage that much water.
The result was the gutter, not being able to handle the runoff, water splashing back up onto the home and getting under the shingles and rotting the roof decking and other moisture issues after only a few years of the roof being replaced.
There were multiple things wrong with this installation, including a second story gutter discharging onto the roof surface, missing drip edge flashing at the eaves and rake of the roof and underlayment not covering all the roof decking. The result was a problem for the homeowner, requiring extensive repairs, repairs that could have been prevented with proper installation.
In the first picture, the red arrows denote the path of the water from top to bottom and the gutter discharge to daylight.
The second picture is the rotten roof sheathing at the corner of the garage, where the short section of gutter is trying to handle all the water from the garage and second story roofs.
Do you inspect Gutters? Yes, we Inspect them as part of our complete home inspection and annual maintenance inspections! – Schedule your inspection today!