5 Reasons Why Downspout Placement is Important in a Seamless Gutter System
Adding seamless gutters to your home is a great way to manage the water that falls on your property, but the gutter is only one part of the gutter system. The downspout placements are equally important and having a properly designed gutter system to effectively manage the water and divert it away from problem areas around the home.
- Proper downspout placement during a gutter installation is essential in leading the water away from your home to the appropriate designated areas. Most people don’t want the downspout’s to dump rain water right into their pool, on to their patio, close to a crawl space, into garden’s/flower beds etc. This can be mitigated with proper downspout placement on your gutter system. Improperly placed downspouts can destroy your landscaping, flood your basement, and cause erosion issues with your home’s foundation.
- If there are not enough downspouts included in your gutter installation, and they are not spaced properly, then the seamless gutters can easily get overwhelmed with water which will cause a cascade and overflow of the gutter. While no seamless gutter installation will catch 100% of water in heavy/hurricane storms (like we get here in NorthEast Florida), a properly designed seamless gutter system will handle most rains and prevent water overflowing the gutters.
- Properly spaced downspouts will prevent undue stress on the seamless gutters which can be caused when gutters get overloaded with water. 1 gallon of water weights roughly 8 lbs, and 1 foot of a standard 6” K Seamless Gutter is roughly 1 gallon. You can see how this weight can add up quickly in a heavy rain. If there are not enough downspouts to allow for the water to escape, the weight can cause the seamless gutters to sag, deform, and eventually pull away from the house.
- Proper downspout placement will prevent gutter repairs and lead to less gutter maintenance over time
- Downspouts should always be positioned in a manner to direct the water away from the foundation of the home. Another option is to add an extension to the bottom of the downspout to get the water even further from the foundation of your house
The general rule of them we strive for at AA Gutter Services is to have one downspout every 30 linear feet. This guideline can change based on the pitch of the roof, if there is a valley that will funnel additional water to a smaller section of roof line, or if there are multiple rooflines where an upper roof drains on to a lower roof.
Our experts will help design a system that will effectively manage the water coming from your home. Please contact us to request a free estimate for an effective seamless gutter system to manage the rainfall on your home!
View downspout options at gutter supply.