Why are my gutters overflowing?

1. Clogged gutter or downspout

Leaves, seed pods and shingle granules pack the outlet. The gutter fills and spills over the front. Under heavy trees this happens every fall.

Check the downspout, not only the trough. A blocked downspout makes a clean gutter overflow.

2. Wrong pitch

A gutter has to fall toward its downspout. If it is level, or falls the wrong way, water sits and spills at the low point. Standing water in a gutter a day after rain is the tell.

Pitch can usually be reset by re-hanging the run. That is a repair, not a replacement.

3. Not enough downspouts

A big roof plane dumping into one long run with one downspout will overflow in a hard rain, even when clean. The fix is another downspout or a bigger outlet.

4. Gutter pulling away from the fascia

Loose hangers let the gutter sag. Water runs behind it, down the fascia, and rots the wood. If the fascia is soft, it gets fixed before the gutter goes back up.

Repair or replace?

Repair when the run is sound and the problem is pitch, hangers or a joint. Replace when the gutter is corroded along its length.

Guards reduce cleaning. None stop it completely, and cheap ones make a clog harder to clear. Decide on guards after the gutter itself is right.

Why it is worth fixing now

Water that spills over the gutter lands against the foundation. That ends up in a basement, and that bill is not a gutter bill. See gutter and roof drainage.