How To Calculate The Slope Of The Gutters?

The main function of rain gutters are the evacuation and collection of rainwater that falls from the roofs. In order for the gutters to perform their function correctly, they must follow a series of requirements. This is important to know to understand because a small damage can cause the gutter to not perform its function well.

One of the biggest problems that exist is that when gutter installers are not professionals, a faulty installation results, thus causing the gutter to malfunction. For this reason and for many others, it is recommended that installation, cleaning and maintenance of gutters are carried out by experts in the field. In this post we are going to learn how to calculate the inclination of the gutters.

Calculate the slope of the gutters

For a rain gutter to be properly installed, it must be able to collect water from the roof and at the same time take advantage of the force of gravity to evacuate that water. It is necessary to facilitate, as far as possible, the evacuation of rainwater. That is why it is so important to install the gutters efficiently.

For a gutter to be properly positioned it should have a slope of at least 1%. This small inclination is imperceptible to the human eye but it is enough for the water to fall down the downspouts quickly.

When gutter installers are working in places where there is abundant rainfall, it is best to incline the gutters a little more to make it easier for the water to escape. In the same way, it is convenient to point out that when gutters are installed in very extensive facades, it is convenient to direct the gutters towards different downspouts to distribute the work.

Slope in external rain gutters

When we talk about external gutters, we refer to the gutters that are found on the facades of buildings but that are visible. This type of gutter is placed by means of wing nuts or plates at the front of the building. These plates are very resistant and are capable of supporting a great weight such as the large accumulation of water or snow. In this way, we understand that, to achieve a perfect inclination, we only have to place these devices always in the direction of the downspout, as if imagining a descending line.

Inclination in hidden gutters

This type of installation is much more complicated than the previous one since the water collection is located on the inside of the roof.

In this case, it is best to ensure that the structure of the building has a slope to place the gutters correctly. If this were to occur, we would only have to locate the ducts in the same direction as the downspouts. On many occasions this is not possible so it is sometimes necessary to install a type of bracket under the system to achieve the most optimal inclination.

How to know if the gutters have the correct slope

There are many occasions in which the gutters do not evacuate the water in the way in which they should, but it is important to note that not only does the problem have to lie in the inclination of the gutter, but there are also external factors that can hinder its function, such as that there is accumulation of waste and these are causing a traffic jam, for example. For this reason, when we see that our gutters do not work as they should, the first thing to do is a deep cleaning of them.

Once it has been verified that there are no accumulated residues or that the possible residues have been eliminated, it is advisable to pour a little water through the gutter to observe its behavior. If we observe that the water remains stagnant at some point, it is most likely that there is a problem with the inclination of the gutter.

How we solve the problem of inclination

When a professional has verified that the problem lies in the inclination, he or she may recommend replacing certain parts of the gutter or proceeding to readjust them.

When the storm channels are in a good state of conservation, the easiest thing to do is to readjust them. They can be disassembled and reassembled with the necessary inclination for the evacuation of the water. However, when the gutters are old it is best to replace them with a new one since when disassembling them it is possible that due to use they will not resist and end up breaking.

The most important thing is to be clear that the important thing is to solve any type of problem that arises with the inclination since this will avoid future problems such as cracks or leaks.