Change Gutter Slope

Most gutters are either 5 or 6 gutters.

Change gutter slope.

Get on a ladder after a rainstorm and look in the gutter. If your gutters don t slope then you only need to adjust the hangers and lower them slightly where necessary to achieve the correct slope. If there s standing water it s not pitched properly. You want at least a quarter inch of slope for every 10 feet.

So what s the ideal amount of slope for your gutters. For example if the gutter is 16 feet long the end near the down spout must be 1 inch lower than the starting end. Most contractors tend to set the slop at one quarter inch per ten feet of guttering. To correct this yourself you ll need to measure from the peak to the downspout.

Drop the gutter to the desired angle sloping it toward the downspout. If gutters slope too severely they don t hold water and water could splash over the sides in heavy rain. If gutters don t slope water gathers in them. Use a hammer and crowbar to loosen the gutter.

This means that your gutter should be a half inch lower in height at every 10 foot mark until you reach the downspout. The gutter slope also called the pitch is the amount the gutter tilts down to let rainwater flow out of it. Step 2 test old gutters for slope. Granade roofing on another awesome seamless gutter project adjusting a section of gutter to get the proper flow of water.

Put a temporary screw at the back to adjust the pitch. So if you have a 25 foot section of guttering you should set the downspout end of the gutter 5 8 of an inch lower 1 4 x 2 5 5 8 than the other end. Multiply the number of feet by 1 16 inch to determine the total slope the gutter requires. Once the gutter is properly pitched re install the gutter.

Ask someone to hold the gutter while you loosen and remove the gutter brackets or hangers. Snap a chalk line between the two and find the spots where the gutter is out of alignment. Loosen the drip edge with a screwdriver. If you re changing out to a bigger gutter you only need make sure that the side that mounts is about the same size as your current gutters in order to use the old gutter as a guide.

For spans longer than 40 feet it s wise to have a downspout on each end and start the high spot of the gutter in the center. Measure from the roof edge at both ends of the gutter if you want to be sure. To get started measure the side of the house directly under the gutter to determine its length in feet. The gutter should have a quarter inch of slope per 10 feet.

A good guideline is that the pitch should cause a decrease somewhere between 1 to 2 inches over a 40 foot run. The amount of collected water increases until it spills over the sides of the gutter. Use a level to make sure that the existing gutter slopes down toward the downspout.