What is Gutter Slope?
Gutter slope refers to the angle that gutters are installed on across the horizontal face of the fascia board. If you have gutters on your home, you will have a section of gutter with a downspout on the right and the left. Typically, the gutter will be angled horizontally in a slight way towards one of the downspouts. This allows the water to drain naturally to the downspout.
Is Gutter Slope Important?
Gutter Slope is probably one of the most discussed topics in the world of gutter and probably the most disputed. So many people speak emphatically on it, but they are only using theory to explain how they think slope works. Our company has 20 years in this industry and our experiences prove that gutter slope is extremely important. If slope is done incorrectly, it can cause a lot of annoyances and sometimes a lot of damage.
Gutter slope is what allows the water to flow correctly to the downspout, to the outlet, and away from your home. Slope allows water to flow the right speed without fighting the new water that is entering into the gutter system. This keeps water from building up inside the gutter. Gutter slope can prevent the buildup of debris over time. It can also help with water capacity problems.
What Should the Slope of Gutters Be?
Gutter slope should be a maximum of 1/4 inch fall per 10 foot of gutter. Anything more than a 1/4 inch is going to make your home look crooked and poorly built. When including a gradual fall the slope will end up being about 1/8 inch over 10 foot.
What Problems Can Arise From Incorrect Gutter Slope?
Not Enough Slope
Not having enough gutter slope is a common problem. If you were to install a long section of gutters with little to no slope, water would fill faster than it can drain because it is unable to find the drain fast enough This can be solved by adding more downspouts in commercial situations. Sometimes businesses install gutters perfectly level and just put plenty of downspout drains for looks.
This type of system would also work in a residential environment but is not recommended. The aesthetics of the home are extremely important. Adding downspouts everywhere is not a great option. It can cause the home to look very tacky. Downspouts are designated predominantly at the corner of a home. Most people try not to put them on the front of a home. The corners and near the end or around on the sides on the back of the house is where you want the downspouts to be to put a proper curb appeal.
Sloping Gutters Away From Outlets
Sloping gutters away from the downspout is another problem. This can cause mildew and the gathering of debris and pests. Once mildew, algae, and other organic material begin to accumulate, you will more than likely have to call an exterior cleaning professional to remove it. In a rainstorm, the natural gravity of the water will be flowing opposite of the downspout. If it fills up enough, some water will drain. But ultimately, gravity will be fighting the water flow the entire time with the water trying to seek the low point opposite of the downspout or the outlet.
Too Much Slope
Too much pitch can also cause issues. If water is pitched 1 inch over 10 foot, then you only get a two inch, maybe 3 inch capacity inside the end. That is high and you will have an overflow potential on the end that is low.
If water is flowing a long distance in heavy rain, you can experience water splashing. This is likely to occur as it hits the end cap or stops at the outside or inside corners where water changes direction of flow. Over pitching can make the water move too quickly and cause it to splash over.
What Problems Can Arise From Incorrect Gutter Slope?
Typically, you measure the length of gutter that is required for the section on the house. Use an example of 40 feet of gutter. The general rule of thumb says to use one outlet for a 40 foot section of gutter. This means one downspout per 40 foot. If you go over 40 ft, then two downspouts will be required.
To slope a 40 ft gutter, measure on one end where the bottom of the gutter would land. This will probably be one inch up on the fascia board. Measure the high end and the low end. If you measured up 1 inch on your fascia board, then go to your high end and measure 1/8 inch per ten foot. With 40 ft of gutter, you would be above the other end by 1/2 inch. Pop a chalk line down the fascia board and install either the top edge of your gutter to this line or the bottom edge. ½ inch slope is what you are looking for on a 40 ft gutter.
Sometimes you can get by with a 1/4 inch or 3/8 inch slope. It makes that slope hard to notice cosmetically but it still allows for water flow. If you are taking a lot of water to a single downspout and you need that water to get out a little bit faster, you can use a 1/4 inch slope over 10 foot. This would be equal to a 1 inch pitch, over 40 foot..
Conclusion
Gutter Slope is used to manage water flow. Using the right flow or using the right slope is really important. Slope your gutters appropriately to allow for enough flow, but not too much where it looks poorly cosmetically. Only pitch them as much as you need to and use the appropriate amount of downspouts where you can and.
