water flowing over gutter guards, normal? - pics


  #1  
Old 12-12-10, 06:28 AM
L
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: PA
Posts: 2,221
Received 8 Upvotes on 8 Posts
water flowing over gutter guards, normal? - pics

put in the guards recently and this is the 1st real storm i've been home in. all the gutters have been perfectly cleaned and actually i even put in a 3x4 pipe on my one long run in this pic.

but i still have a huge puddle under my front window. Also there's an inordinate amount of water, or at least i think there is, that is overflowing the gutter and dripping down to the yard.

there's one section of the house with no guards and you will see the comparative pic and see what i mean. I hope it rains heavier today but so far just steady all night. Before the gutters were cleaned it literally poured over the edge so that should be fixed but until heavy rain i cannot confirm (must see next post for pic of no guards)



as you can see, under the gutter is a decent amount of drippage, im assuming this is flowing over top of the guards?



this kind of big puddle formed both before and after the guards put in. i should also note that i do have brand new drainage system next to the house but obviously it doesnt go out that far lol..i should build up that area to slope better towards the house and the ditch underneath







 
  #2  
Old 12-12-10, 06:31 AM
L
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: PA
Posts: 2,221
Received 8 Upvotes on 8 Posts
this is an independent section of the house, no guards, notice very few drops leaking from the gutters. this seems to confirm that the rain is going over the guards and over the side of the gutters?
 
  #3  
Old 01-07-11, 09:36 PM
R
Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Springfield, Missouri
Posts: 7
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Are the gutter guards...gutter helmets? Or are they plastic?
 
  #4  
Old 01-08-11, 05:52 AM
L
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: PA
Posts: 2,221
Received 8 Upvotes on 8 Posts
plastic 2 bucks each. cant afford more than that and need to keep the leaves out

http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/pro...65f559_300.jpg
 
  #5  
Old 01-08-11, 05:59 AM
chandler's Avatar
Banned. Rule And/Or Policy Violation
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: USA
Posts: 36,607
Upvotes: 0
Received 9 Upvotes on 8 Posts
I've had those same guards on my house. I took them off this past fall. Heck with the leaves. I can access the roof and I have a leaf blower. 10 minutes, done. No water overflow. I have been experiencing the same thing you have, and KNOW the downspouts are clear, so it was obvious the gutter guards were the culprit.
Can't afford the helmets, either, but I figure they are the next step to keep the leaves out, but too expensive.
 
  #6  
Old 01-08-11, 01:46 PM
XSleeper's Avatar
Group Moderator
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 27,061
Received 1,910 Upvotes on 1,716 Posts
I'd like to see a picture taken from atop a ladder, where you could actually see the top of the gutter and the gutter guard. Maybe one in the daytime. Something that shows the gutter from straight on... and something from above. Something looks funny in the top picture but it's too dark, and the angle is not right to get an idea of what the water might be doing once it hits the gutter guard.
 
  #7  
Old 01-08-11, 08:24 PM
R
Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Springfield, Missouri
Posts: 7
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Unfortunately those are not intended to be functionable I have roofed many homes with those and upon signing the contract the homeowners have told me to make them disappear.I believe they have a diamond type pattern?Junk,Junk,Junk, I know that a gutter helmet is fairly expensive but it seems the (covers/screens) you have installed cannot handle the water flow.Those screens/covers are such a pain and the manufactures capitalize on people desperately trying to keep some gutters clear of debris.,if the expense of a proper functionable topper system is not practical for you for whatever reason cleaning or having your gutters cleaned at least 3-times per year (or twice per season)maybe the only option.
 
  #8  
Old 01-09-11, 01:38 AM
R
Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: USA
Posts: 39
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by XSleeper
Something looks funny in the top picture but it's too dark, and the angle is not right to get an idea of what the water might be doing once it hits the gutter guard.
It might be an optical illusion, but is the gutter low in the middle over the window? Could the water be filling up and running over until the volume goes down?
 
  #9  
Old 01-09-11, 09:23 AM
palmcoast's Avatar
Member
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 124
Received 2 Upvotes on 1 Post
I have gutter helmets on mine and they are fine as long as it is not a heavy rain otherwise they water just pours over the edge. The theory is good but anytime you restrict the top opening of t he gutter you risk overflow.
 
  #10  
Old 01-11-11, 05:06 AM
L
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: PA
Posts: 2,221
Received 8 Upvotes on 8 Posts
yes a diamond pattern with screen on top, appears that no way could leaves or debris ever get in ..but maybe water cant get in either lol.

i'll take better pics if the weather ever cooperates. I do know the gutters may not be perfectly sloped but now that they are clean, the amount of water that may remain because of the sloping is immaterial. and if i have to choose water running over the top but keeping the gutters unclogged ill have to chose the unclogged option. i was remiss all these years in cleaning the gutters and now they are perfectly clean. assuming they do keep the leaves etc out ill probably keep them because A. i paid for them and installed them B. i do have a new permeter drainage system around the house so let it do its work lol C. i'm too lazy to clean them every year . i guess the best thing to do would be go up in a storm and take one off and see how much is really going in the gutter vs over. since the spouts go underground i cannot watch the water that way.

also i should note that above my big window i did put in a brand new drop and 3/4 opening and spout. even with all that roof being dumped down the one hole, i think that 3x4 should be able to handle it just fine
 
  #11  
Old 01-19-11, 10:44 PM
J
Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 24
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
We have Leaf Relief gutters...

They are similar in principle to the cheap plastic ones with holes but are aluminum and seem to work much better. We have two tall pines over our front gutters (1 story) and only in the heaviest rain do we see overflow. Cleaning them off 2x/year seems to do the trick. The rear of the house sees mainly leaves and fewer needles and they work fine there with no cleaning.

The roofer did mention that our gutters are mounted too close to the roof for the guards to perform optimally, since some debris gets wedged between the shingles and the top of the guard. I forget the term he used (ledger board?) but that might be something to look into.

Still, they are MUCH better than nothing at all. I have a feeling the plastic ones will curl into gutter and become part of the clog over time.
 
  #12  
Old 01-20-11, 05:03 AM
L
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: PA
Posts: 2,221
Received 8 Upvotes on 8 Posts
we are continually hit by storms here 2x a week so will be a long while before i get up there during 'rain' but i've gotten a chance to see how they do in ice storms. i've only had a few small icicles forming and i think unclogging the gutters is big reason why. keeping them unclogged can only help me in that area. last year i had some that were so big they almost touched the ground, not good. plus i insulated my attic this year so that helps too i'm sure.

i agree these are better than nothing and id rather have overrun than clogged gutters. but i'm striving for both.

debris between your shingles and the guard is interesting, on mine i dont even know how that would be possible. i guess i'm lucky in that respect
 
 

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
 
Ask a Question
Question Title:
Description:
Your question will be posted in: