Gutters on the house.

[mrsilv04]

Due to Issac, we are forecast to get 6" of rain this weekend, here in Central Illinois.

When my house was built, and they put the gutters on the back of the house, they must have slightly sloped the gutter in one direction, because about 80% of the water goes to one downspout, and the rest to the other. (It's about a 40 foot run, with downspouts at each end.)

With this much rain coming, I'd like to get it closer to 50/50... as the side of the house that the 80% goes to doesn't drain as well.... that figures, right?

Why can't I put something in the middle of the 40 foot span to block it, and divide the water 50-50?. To try the theory, I'm thinking of laying a brick in the gutter, with a couple of shop towels on each side to plug the gaps around the brick.

Wouldn't that even out the distribution of the water between the two downspouts?

 

[Donald]

It might work or it will overflow next to the brick. It should be slopped from the middle to each outside downspout. Could it have bent or a few screws/nails missing, something you can easily fit?

Most of the people that put up gutters seem to be hacks.

 

[The_Jeff]

They make a little paddle shaped thing with a rubber grommet on the bottom of the "U" that will do what you want. Depot and Lowes have them, if you can figure out what brand gutters you have. (like "Raingo".) I have raingo plastic and all the stuff snaps together with flexible plastic. Until it sees a bunch of UV then it just snaps.

However it would be better to rehang the hangers so the middle is the true peak. Then you have a theoretical cross over if there's a leaf blockage or something.

You want a small amount of rise, like an inch every ten feet. Time to break out the Binford(tm) laser level!

 

[Warstud]

I would look into adding another down spout.

 

[Rand]

could you add another downspout say.. in the middle and run it to the side that drains better?

or would that be difficult.

 

[Rick in PA]

Sorry, I don't have anything to add, just that I hate rain gutters. Constantly clogging, constantly overflowing. Yeah, I tried gutter shields, they worked... for a while, then they were a barrier to cleaning out the gutters. I like trees, but they're 4-seasons of debris falling from the sky. I'm happy if the rain water comes down ANY of the downspouts. I'd design my own, they'd be ugly as sin, but they'd work. Ah, it felt good to get that off my chest.
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