Gutters & Downspouts

Question 1

Should I replace my gutters when I get a new roof in Tulsa?

Accepted Answer

Not always, but it is the cheapest moment to do it. The fascia and drip edge are already exposed, and new gutter can be hung straight onto fresh wood. If the old gutter is dented, sagging or nailed through the old shingles, replacing it during the roof job saves a second trip and a second tear off. In the Tulsa metro we look at the fascia board first. If it is soft from years of overflow, that wood has to be replaced before any gutter will hold. Hanging new gutter on rotten fascia is why so many Broken Arrow gutters pull loose within a season. Ask for the fascia to be checked and quoted in the same estimate.

Question 2

Why does water run behind my gutter instead of into it in heavy Oklahoma rain?

Accepted Answer

Usually the gutter sits too low or too flat against the fascia, so the drip edge throws water past the back of the channel. A second common cause is a shingle edge that stops short of the gutter. Both are alignment problems, and both are cheap to correct before the fascia rots. After a hard Tulsa storm we see this on the north and west slopes most often, because that is where wind driven rain hits hardest. We check the pitch of the run, the position of the drip edge, and whether the hangers have pulled. Correcting the fall on a run is a same day repair in most cases.

Question 3

What size gutters do I need for a Tulsa house, five inch or six inch?

Accepted Answer

Most Tulsa area homes do fine with five inch gutter. Six inch is worth the upgrade when the roof is steep, the run is long, or a big roof area drains to one downspout. Oklahoma downpours drop a lot of water fast, so undersized gutter overflows at the corners even when it is clean. A simple way to think about it is how much roof drains into one channel. A long ranch roof with two downspouts moves more water than a steep two story with four. We measure the roof area feeding each run before quoting, because upsizing one bad run is often cheaper than adding downspouts everywhere.

Question 4

Why does water pool against my foundation in Broken Arrow after it rains?

Accepted Answer

The downspouts are probably dumping right at the wall. Water that lands within a couple of feet of the foundation soaks straight down and shows up as a damp crawl space or a cracked slab. Extending the discharge, or adding a splash block that carries water away, usually fixes it. Broken Arrow lots are often graded flat, so water has nowhere to go in a hurry. We look at where each downspout ends, how the ground slopes, and whether the gutter is overflowing above it. A downspout that ends at the mulch bed is doing half a job no matter how good the gutter is.

Question 5

Can a clogged gutter really cause a roof leak in Tulsa?

Accepted Answer

Yes. When gutter backs up, water sits against the fascia and wicks under the bottom shingle course. From there it works into the decking and shows up as a ceiling stain well away from the gutter. Keeping the run clear protects the roof edge as much as it protects the foundation. We see this most on homes with big trees close to the house, and on two story homes where nobody wants to get on a ladder. The leak often looks like a roof problem and is not. Before anyone quotes a roof repair in the Tulsa metro, the gutter and the roof edge should be checked.

Question 6

Are seamless gutters worth the extra cost over sectional gutters?

Accepted Answer

For most Tulsa homes, yes. Seamless gutter is formed on site in one run, so there are no joints to leak, no joints to pull apart and nothing for a ladder to catch. Sectional gutter is cheaper up front and works fine on a shed or a short run, but on a full house the seams are where failures start. Every seam is a place where a bead of sealant has to hold for years in Oklahoma heat and freeze cycles. We form seamless runs at the house, which also means the gutter follows the actual roofline instead of being pieced together. The only joints left are at the corners and the outlets, and those get sealed properly.

Question 7

Why are my gutters pulling away from the house in Owasso?

Accepted Answer

The hangers have either pulled out of the wood or the fascia behind them has gone soft. A gutter full of water is heavy, and a run that was hung with spikes into thin fascia will sag under that weight. The fix is new hangers into solid wood, and replacing any rotted fascia first. Spikes and ferrules, the old style hanger, loosen over time as the wood dries and swells. Hidden hangers screwed into the fascia hold better and are what we use on replacements. If the sag is only on one section, it is often a single failed hanger and a quick repair.

Question 8

Do I need gutter guards in Oklahoma with all the trees?

Accepted Answer

Guards help, but they are not maintenance free. They keep leaves and shingle granules out of the channel, which cuts how often you have to clean. Small seed pods and grit still get through, and a guard that is installed badly can let water run straight over the top. Tulsa has a lot of mature elm, oak and maple, and those drop fine debris that can mat on top of a screen. We tell homeowners to still look at the gutter after the fall drop and after a hail storm knocks granules loose. Guards reduce the work, they do not remove it.

Question 9

Can hail damage my gutters and downspouts in Tulsa?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Hail dents aluminum gutter, dings downspouts and can knock the paint off, and that damage is real even when the roof above looks fine. Dented gutter holds water in the low spots, which leads to standing water, sagging and overflow on the next storm. After a hail event we usually find the damage on the sides of the house that faced the storm, and on the downspouts more than the gutter. Small dents are cosmetic, deep ones change how the run drains. Photograph the dents and keep the date of the storm with your paperwork.

Question 10

Will homeowners insurance pay to replace hail damaged gutters in Oklahoma?

Accepted Answer

Often it will, if the damage came from a covered storm and you have met your deductible. Gutter is usually treated as part of the roof and exterior coverage rather than a separate item. Whether it is paid depends on your policy language and the adjuster's inspection, so read your policy before you assume either way. Gutters get left off scopes more often than people expect, because the adjuster looks at the roof and walks past the run. If your gutter is dented and the storm date is documented, ask for it to be added. That is the same supplement process we use when a roof scope comes up short.

Question 11

What is the right way to run downspouts so water leaves my yard in Tulsa?

Accepted Answer

Get the water several feet from the foundation and onto ground that slopes away from the house. That may mean a longer downspout, a splash block, or a buried line to a daylight outlet. The point is to move it far enough that it soaks in away from the slab or the crawl space. Flat Tulsa lots are the hard case, because there is nowhere downhill to send it. On those we look at the whole grade, not just the downspout. If the yard holds water, extending one downspout just moves the puddle. Sometimes the honest answer is drainage work and sometimes it is a longer run.

Question 12

Why do my gutters overflow at the inside corners of the roof?

Accepted Answer

Inside corners collect water from two roof planes at once, so that one spot handles far more volume than the straight runs beside it. If the downspout is not close to the corner, or the corner was never mitred and sealed well, the channel fills and dumps over the front edge. This shows up on Tulsa homes with an L shaped plan, which is most of them. The fix can be an extra downspout at the corner, a larger channel on that section, or correcting a corner that was never sealed. It is one of the first places to look when a homeowner says the gutter is clean but still overflows.

Question 13

How do I know if my gutters need repair or full replacement in Broken Arrow?

Accepted Answer

Repair makes sense when the damage is local, such as one pulled hanger, one loose corner or one crushed section. Replacement is the better call when the runs are dented throughout, seams keep opening, or the gutter is the original thin material and has already been patched several times. We walk the whole perimeter and check hanger spacing, the fall on each run, and the condition of the fascia behind it. A run that will not hold pitch no matter how it is hung is telling you something about the wood, not the metal. That is the case where new gutter and fascia repair go together.

Question 14

Do gutters matter if my house sits on a slab in Oklahoma?

Accepted Answer

They matter more, not less. A slab has no crawl space to absorb a small leak, so water that pools at the edge works into the joint and shows up as a crack or a damp spot inside. Gutters that carry water away from the slab are cheap protection against a foundation repair. Much of the newer construction in Bixby, Jenks and south Tulsa is slab on grade with tight lots. Those homes often have short gutter runs and downspouts that end right at the fence line. We check where the water actually lands, not just whether a downspout exists.

Question 15

How often should downspouts be checked after an Oklahoma storm?

Accepted Answer

Look at them after any storm that drops heavy rain or hail, and at least once in the fall after the leaves come down. The check is quick. Look for dents, loose hangers, soil packed at the outlet, and water marks on the fascia that tell you the run overflowed. After hail, the thing people miss is granule loss from the shingles. Those granules wash into the gutter and settle in the low spots, which is why a clean looking gutter can still hold water. If you see a gritty line in the channel after a storm, that is your roof telling you it took a hit.

Question 16

My gutters are full of leaves and I keep putting off cleaning them. What can it cost me?

Accepted Answer

Clogged gutters push water over the edge and behind the fascia, and that is where the real bill starts. Water that cannot get into the downspout runs down the wall, soaks the fascia board and lands at the foundation. A cleaning is small next to fascia or foundation work. Most of the damage we see in the Tulsa metro starts at an inside corner where leaves pack in. Once the gutter is full, water backs under the shingles at the eave. Then the fascia rots and the soffit goes soft. Two cleanings a year, spring and late fall, is the usual advice around here.

Question 17

Why does my gutter leak at the seam even after I sealed it?

Accepted Answer

Sealant alone does not hold a seam that is moving. If the sections are loose, or the gutter sags between hangers, the joint opens again and pulls the sealant apart. The fix is to support the gutter first, then seal or replace the joint. On older sectional gutters in Broken Arrow we often find hangers spaced too far apart, so the metal flexes with every load of water. Sealant cracks, water drips on the fascia, and the board behind goes soft. Seamless gutter takes the joint out of the run, which is why we use it on most replacements.

Question 18

Can I bury my downspouts underground in Oklahoma?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and it is the cleanest way to get water away from the house. The downspout runs into a buried pipe that carries water to a pop up emitter in the yard. The work is in the slope, because the pipe has to fall away from the house the whole way. Clay soil around Tulsa and Broken Arrow moves with wet and dry cycles, and that can crush a thin pipe or shift a joint. We use solid pipe with glued fittings, keep a steady fall, and put a cleanout where leaves collect. A buried line also has to be marked before anyone digs.

Question 19

What gutters hold up best to Oklahoma hail, aluminum or steel?

Accepted Answer

Aluminum is the common choice here and it takes most hail without a problem. Steel is stronger against dents but it can rust where the paint gets chipped. Hanger spacing matters as much as the metal, because a hard rain will pull a poorly hung run loose. We see plenty of hail dented gutters in Owasso and Broken Arrow after a big storm. Dents that close the opening matter, dents that do not are cosmetic. If a hail claim covers the gutters, the adjuster usually wants to see the dents running in the same direction as the roof damage.

Question 20

Can I put gutters on just the front of my house and skip the back?

Accepted Answer

You can, and some homeowners do it to save money, but the back of a Tulsa house is where water does the quiet damage. The back usually sits over a patio, a flower bed or the same foundation wall. Water dumped there has nowhere to go but down. We have pulled gutter off houses where only the front was done, and the back fascia was rotten while the front looked new. If budget is the issue, we would rather do a full run on the lower roof and wait on the upper one. Water always finds the wall you cannot see.

Question 21

Why is there standing water in my gutter when it has not rained?

Accepted Answer

A gutter that holds water after the rain stops is not falling toward the downspout. Either the run is back pitched, or a hanger has dropped, or the outlet is blocked. Standing water rusts the metal and pulls the hangers out over time. This is common on long runs across the front of a Tulsa ranch house. Very long runs sag in the middle even when they start out right. We check the fall with a line and add hangers before we change any metal. A reset is quicker and cheaper than a new run.

Question 22

What is a splash block and do I need one under my downspout?

Accepted Answer

A splash block is the small concrete or plastic pad that sits at the bottom of a downspout so water spreads out instead of digging a hole. It helps, but it only moves water a short way. The ground right beside the wall still gets soaked. We see splash blocks sunk or tipped over in a lot of older yards around midtown Tulsa. A better answer is an extension or a buried line that carries water to a low spot. If the grade already falls away from the house, a splash block is fine.

Question 23

Does a gutter have to slope, and can a bad slope be fixed without replacing it?

Accepted Answer

Yes, every gutter has to fall toward its downspout or the water never leaves. A bad slope can often be corrected by resetting hangers and moving the outlet. If the metal is creased or the run is very long, a new seamless run is the better answer. The fall does not have to be steep, it has to be steady, because a dip in the middle traps water even when both ends are right. We string a line along the gutter and check it against the fascia before we take anything apart. A reset is quick and it saves the metal.

Question 24

My gutter drips on my car in the driveway. What fixes that?

Accepted Answer

That drip is usually a joint that has opened or a downspout that stops short of the ground. It looks small and it is not, because the same water is running down the wall behind the gutter. Fixing the joint or extending the downspout takes the drip off the car. A downspout that ends above the concrete will splash the car, the door and the walk. We add a short extension or turn the outlet so the water lands on the lawn. If the joint above is leaking too, the fascia is already getting wet behind the gutter.

Gutters and Downspouts in Tulsa: What Homeowners Ask Most

How much does it cost to install gutters on a house in Tulsa?

Answers