Step 3 determine the cause of slow drainage.
How to level gutters.
And a level gutter is the obvious answer when there s a downspout at both ends such as on our hip roof.
Get on a ladder after a rainstorm and look in the gutter.
While you are realigning the gutters this is a good opportunity to check for any debris build up broken seals or.
Go to the side of the gutter farthest from the downspout and pour the water in.
Then slide the ladder to the other end of the gutter and measure down from the roof to the gutter.
To check the slope of your gutters you ll need a ladder tall enough to safely get to your gutter and a one gallon bucket of water.
For most homes this fall of 1 in each direction from the center provides adequate drainage.
Gutters need to be pitched toward the downspouts for the water to flow properly.
If there s standing water it s not pitched properly.
How to re align rain gutters.
Step 4 re align the gutters.
For every 10 feet of gutter from this measurement and mark.
How to check a gutter s slope.
Even though they look level from a distance gutters should be pitched slightly from one end to the other.
Checking the water flow.
Step 2 check the water flow.
Longer gutters and larger roofs require more downspouts.
You can measure pitch with a 2 foot level and a tape measure.
Mark the gutter slope when installing gutters set the proper slope by driving a nail 1 2 in.
Measure and record the distance from the bottom of the fascia board to this nail.
To correct this yourself you ll need to measure from the peak to the downspout.
Next place a ladder at the left side of the house and measure from the roof down to the gutter.
If the run is extremely long allow 1 fall for each 16 of gutter.
Btw spikes and ferrules hold the gutter to the wall of the house.
A simple method for checking the gutter alignment is to pour a one gallon bucket of water into the gutter at its highest point.
Gutters should slope an inch or two for every 40 feet.
Allow for 1 of fall each way.
If the pitch is too gentle water will just fill up in the gutters until it overflows and a too sharp pitch isn t aesthetically pleasing.
Hold one end of the level against the roof level it and then measure the distance between the roof and the underside of the level at its midpoint which gives you a 12 inch run.
Note the measurement as you will need it later.
Gutters are often installed level for appearance.
Measure down 1 inch past the first measurement and mark it with a pencil.
While it makese sense to slightly slope the gutter toward the downspout about 1 4 in.
Below the shingles on the high side of the.
Step 5.
The steeper a roof s pitch the more windblown rain it can collect.
It should run at a consistent speed down the gutter to the downspout.
