Gutter Problem

[TromboneAl]

Today I noticed a slightly darker patch of paint on the wall of the living room. It is right inside the place where this gutter hits the outside wall. Note that the gutter slants down 25 degrees or so--that's not perspective that you are seeing.

The problem, as you may guess, is that when the downspout is clogged the water backs up and overflows against the siding of the house.

You can tell from the discoloration of the stain on the siding.

In addition, the flashing on that portion of the roof ends at the gutter, and the wood is carved out there (red arrow). It seems to have been sealed, but that seal may not be holding.

One solution is to just make sure it doesn't clog. I'd have to clear it out once a week.

A second solution would be to keep it cleared out, but also cut out a hole where the yellow arrow points. In that case, when it's clogged and the water backs up, the water will flow out the hole, and not against the wall.

Third solution: bring the whole thing away from the wall. That won't deal with the flashing problem, however.

Fourth solution: Call a gutter person.

Ideas?

 

[jfn111]

Several years ago I went with the leaf guard gutters and I love them. No clogs and no maintenance.

 

[TromboneAl]

Looked some more and discovered that water coming off the roof along the flashing can go down where the green arrow points:

There was sealant there, but it's worn away. Replacing that will help.

 

[rbmrtn]

Basically you are missing a piece of flashing called a kickout diverter. This seems to be common mistake, I did a major repair on my porch because of this ( simple $3 piece of flashing missing causing hundreds in damage )

Repair Siding: Use a Kick-Out Flashing to Stop Rot

 

[target2019]

I have that same problem, but my gutters spill out from the opposite end, so the problem is not severe at the house end of the gutter.

Get a small piece of flashing and trim/fit/ under the shingle and also under that piece of horizontal siding (under the metal edge). Use a type of caulk/cement appropriate for the material.

 

[ERD50]

Basically you are missing a piece of flashing called a kickout diverter. This seems to be common mistake, I did a major repair on my porch because of this ( simple $3 piece of flashing missing causing hundreds in damage )

Repair Siding: Use a Kick-Out Flashing to Stop Rot

That looks like the right way to do it.

I'd also consider the the 'leaf guard' type systems to help prevent clogging. I got mine at costco, forget the actual name, but it is an open-cell black foam that fills the gutter. Leaves and junk don't get in, but water flows right through. Been working well for two years now.

-ERD50

 

[NW-Bound]

At the 25-degree slope of the gutter, a torrential rain may cause the water to flow with such speed that it overflows the gutter end cap (where the green arrow points). More flashing may be needed, or baffles installed along the gutter length to slow down the flow. The open-cell foam would also serve that function.

 

[harley]

+1 on the open cell foam. I put it in last year and it's been working like a champ. We've got a Live Oak that drops a ton of leaves on the roof. They go down to the gutter, stop on top of the foam, then blow off. I wouldn't recommend it if you've got lots of pine needles, but for most any other type leaf they work great.

 

[travelover]

Definitely agree on the addition of the kick out flashing.

One thing that I did with my gutters that helped a lot is to install funnel shaped connectors from the trough to the downspout. I also upsized the downspout to the larger, commercial size. It has been several years now and they rarely clog, plus they can handle much more intense rain before they overflow.

Outlet PVC Big Mouth 3x4

 

[MichaelB]

When we had a new roof put on last year there was widespread rot and wood damage from flashing and gutters issues. The areas of greatest damage, flashing was poorly installed or missing entirely.

Our roofer also said that kickout flashing was the critical element, the ones he used for us are bigger and longer and should minimize this problem. We also added an additional downspout and increased the size of the gutters and downspout.

 

[kaneohe]

That looks like the right way to do it.

I'd also consider the the 'leaf guard' type systems to help prevent clogging. I got mine at costco, forget the actual name, but it is an open-cell black foam that fills the gutter. Leaves and junk don't get in, but water flows right through. Been working well for two years now.

-ERD50

anyone have a link to the costco product?

 

[TromboneAl]

Ah, yes, kickout flashing, bingo. It has a tiny kickout flashing thing, but it wasn't constructed correctly. The piece shown by the arrow pulls right out.

I'll fashion a new one like this (but smaller):

Thanks.

Our clogging is 100% pine needles. I've tried a number of clog-prevention systems, but removed them and went with this tool, which works great:

Amazon.com - Gutter Sense Gutter Cleaning tool - Home And Garden Products

 

[travelover]

Our clogging is 100% pine needles. I've tried a number of clog-prevention systems, but removed them and went with this tool, which works great:

Amazon.com - Gutter Sense Gutter Cleaning tool - Home And Garden Products

My main problem is pine needles as well (white pine) and I found that the larger opening into a larger downspout helps quite a bit. In the fall, though, when they do a major dump of needles, I still have to manually remove them.

 

[TromboneAl]

I got so many pine needles that they'd clog the downspout where it made the turn at ground level. This catch basin fixed that:

 

[TromboneAl]

OK, got it. I almost chickened out and called a roofing contractor, but I think my solution will work well:

And here are the emergency drain holes:

I'll wait for the caulking to dry, then test it out. I think I can simulate even the hardest downpours with the hose.

 

[harley]

anyone have a link to the costco product?

Just checked Costco, it says they don't sell it any more. But you can buy it at any of the big box hardware stores now, or off Amazon. I bought mine at Home Depot, and I've seen it at Lowes.

 

[splitwdw]

Al, In the pictures, the down spout isn't connected to the gutter. Did you temporarily disconnect?

 

[kaneohe]

Just checked Costco, it says they don't sell it any more. But you can buy it at any of the big box hardware stores now, or off Amazon. I bought mine at Home Depot, and I've seen it at Lowes.

harley, thanks for checking. we seem to have all kinds of debris from various trees around from small flakes to twigs/branches. Pretty sure the fines would clog the foam as they would the normal screen type stuff. Guess I'll have to keep up the core muscles for the ladder exercise........................

 

[TromboneAl]

Al, In the pictures, the down spout isn't connected to the gutter. Did you temporarily disconnect?

It just looks that way. The hole to the downspout is smaller than it should be.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Early Retirement Forum mobile app

 

[travelover]

......... The hole to the downspout is smaller than it should be................

And that makes it plug up and overflow more easily.

 

[TromboneAl]

And that makes it plug up and overflow more easily.

Agreed. Maybe I'll work on that. It will be a little problematic because the gutter is angled relative to the downspout, but I'm guesing it's possible to purchase angled outlet attachments.

 

[travelover]

Agreed. Maybe I'll work on that. It will be a little problematic because the gutter is angled relative to the downspout, but I'm guessing it's possible to purchase angled outlet attachments.

Yes, they make plastic flexible elbows, though they won't flow as well as a smooth pipe. You might be able to just cut and bend a standard aluminum downspout.

 

[TromboneAl]

It works like a charm:

Weep holes, too:

And I realized that due to the geometry, without twisting the downspout, there's no way to make the opening bigger:

I'll see how often it gets clogged, and make that change if necessary.

Thanks for the help!

Al

 

[travelover]

All's well that ends well.

 

[Sunset]

I think you have created a new problem, see where the 3 holes now allow the water to flow back to the wood, it will rot over time.

you could glue with silicone a 1 inch long tube (copper water pipe) over each hole so they extend out and drip clear of the gutter, or make an edge along the bottom of the gutter out of a bead of silicone so when water gets to the bottom edge of the gutter it drips rather than run back to the wood.