Bondurant Gutter Replacement & Gutter Guard Installation

How much slope a gutter should have

A gutter is not level, and it should not look level either. It needs enough fall toward the outlet that standing water drains rather than sitting. The usual figure is about a quarter inch of drop over every ten feet of run. On a forty-foot run that is a full inch from end to end, which is visible if you know to look for it and invisible to almost everyone who does not. Too little slope leaves water standing in the trough after the rain stops. Standing water is heavy, it accelerates corrosion at the seams, it breeds mosquitoes, and in winter it freezes into a solid block that no heat cable can efficiently clear. Too much slope looks wrong against the fascia line and, on a long run, drops the outlet end far enough to be noticeable from the street. Pitch is also the first thing to go when hangers loosen or fascia softens. A gutter that used to drain and now holds water has usually not changed size or shape; it has lost its fall. That is often repairable without replacing anything.