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When rainwater gutters are working as they should, most of us will barely even notice they are there.  They offer a simple solution that prevents waterfalls running off our roof when it rains and help protect the walls and foundations of our properties from water damage.  If they stop working properly, however, you can quickly end up with a big problem on your hands…unless you know how to fix them.

A well-maintained guttering system can last a lifetime without ever needing to be replaced.  But even the most well looked after gutters can become damaged by the weather or eventually succumb to wear and tear over time.  Before you start thinking about replacing your entire guttering system however, there are often simple repair jobs you can do to fix the issues and extend the lifespan of your existing gutters.

How to fix your gutters

The outside of your house takes a pounding from the elements all year round.  It’s the shield that protects you from the wind, the rain, the cold and the heat. However, that shield needs protecting too, and rainwater guttering plays an essential role in that very task.  Your gutters and downpipes channel water away from the walls and foundations of your home, where it might otherwise seep in and cause a lot of damage.  For this reason, it is imperative that they remain in good working order and that any problems are fixed quickly to keep your house safe.

The best way to do this is with a regular guttering maintenance schedule, but if you already have a problem with your gutters, then we are beyond that point for now.  First you need to get your gutters working properly again, then you can think about future maintenance plans.

When were your gutters last cleaned?

The very first thing you should do if you discover that your gutters aren’t working properly is to give them a good clean.  Guttering systems that have not been regularly maintained for a long time are almost definitely going to have some kind of blockage caused by leaf litter and other debris.   Such build-ups can be the root cause of many of the problems listed above.

Giving your gutters and downpipes a good clear out will either fix the problem you had or help you better identify what else needs to be done. Here is a list of the most common guttering issues you might encounter along with tips and advice on how to fix them.

Most Common Guttering Problems

Blocked guttering

This is by far and away the most common problem of all when it comes to guttering.  While your gutters are perfectly designed to catch water running off your roof, they, unfortunately, also do a great job of catching other things too.  Things like leaves, twigs, clumps of moss, and anything else that can be dropped or blown into them, which can all cause blockages if left to build-up for long enough.  When this happens, the gutters can no longer drain away the rainwater, causing it to collect behind the blockage until it overflows.  This can then also become the root cause of other problems in this list, such as sagging or damaged gutters.

Plants growing in gutters

If you see grass, weeds, or flowers growing out of your gutters, it’s because they’ve not been cleaned in far too long.  When certain types of debris in the gutter, such as soil, mix with the rainwater off your roof, it creates a perfect growth environment that’s just waiting for seeds to be dropped or blown into it.  This can, of course, contribute to the blockage issue mentioned above, but it also stands as a problem in its own right because of the fact that it can attract wildlife to your gutters as well.  Birds, squirrels, mice and rats can all be drawn to the plant matter growing in your gutters, and all of them can cause damage.

Sagging gutters

Gutters start to sag when the weight inside them becomes too much for their support brackets to hold.  This can be caused by blockages, as mentioned above, a buildup of snow in the winter months, or by the improper installation of the system in the first place.  Gutter support brackets should be installed no more than 1m apart (closer if you have a particularly steep roof or live in an area prone to heavy snowfall) and no more than 150mm away from any join, bend or stopend.  If your gutters do not have adequate support brackets holding them up, then sagging is going to be a real problem for you.

Incorrect gutter slope

Technically, gutters don’t need to be installed with a fall (slope), but it isn’t hard to see why they should be.  If your gutters are installed perfectly level, the only thing pushing the water towards the downpipe is the force of more water running off the roof while it’s raining.  When the rain stops, however, some of that water can end up just sitting in the gutter with nowhere to go. Worse yet, during particularly heavy rainfall, your gutters can struggle to drain the water away fast enough to stop it from overflowing.  If your gutters constantly overflow, despite there being no sign of any blockages, this could be the cause.  Having a gentle fall towards the downpipe helps to prevent these issues and greatly increases the capacity of your gutters.

Incorrect downpipe positioning

A downpipe (or downspout) should be installed directly above a grid/gully to allow the water from the roof to be channelled away from the buildings foundations and into the surface water drains.  If the positioning of the downpipe is off, even slightly, and not all of the water goes into the drain, it can lead to flooding issues during heavy periods of rainfall.

Damage to the gutters

Guttering systems can be damaged in a variety of ways, as they are somewhat exposed and vulnerable up at the edge of your roof.  Depending on the material they are made from, they can be cracked, dented, snapped and bent out of shape, all of which can lead to other problems such as leaks and blockages.  Damage can also be caused by many of these other problems, such as sagging gutters becoming bent out of shape or cracking under the weight caused by a blockage.  Whatever the damage is, whether caused by heavy storms overloading the system, or a pair of ladders being lent up against the gutters causing them to snap under the weight, it should always be fixed as soon as possible to prevent further problems being caused.

Inadequate guttering

If your guttering system is incorrectly sized for the needs of your property, it could be the reason that none of the other fixes have worked for you.  No matter how clean or well maintained the system is, if it is not designed to properly cope with the amount of water running off your roof, it is always going to fail.  The surface area of your roof, the angle of its slope, and the intensity of rainfall in your area can all greatly affect the size and style of guttering that you need.

Leaking gutters & downpipes

Last, but by no means least, comes the problems of leaking gutters.  This is the problem that can be caused by all others.  A problem that can see even the slightest crack or poorly sealed joint turn into a waterfall during a heavy downpour and you know that it’s nearly always going to be right above your front door.  It’s a problem we get asked about so often, in fact, that we’ve decided to give it its very own article to properly look into the causes of leaking gutters and the best ways to fix them.