Use a level to make sure that the existing gutter slopes down toward the downspout.
Change gutter slope.
The standard slope for rain gutters is half of an inch for every 10 feet.
Ask someone to hold the gutter while you loosen and remove the gutter brackets or hangers.
Put a temporary screw at the back to adjust the pitch.
Measure from the roof edge at both ends of the gutter if you want to be sure.
To adjust the slope of the gutter wearing gloves pop out the gutter pegs on the side and around the corners.
Most gutters are either 5 or 6 gutters.
Step 2 test old gutters for slope.
You want at least a quarter inch of slope for every 10 feet.
For example if the gutter is 16 feet long the end near the down spout must be 1 inch lower than the starting end.
To get started measure the side of the house directly under the gutter to determine its length in feet.
Use a hammer and crowbar to loosen the gutter.
To correct this yourself you ll need to measure from the peak to the downspout.
If you re changing out to a bigger gutter you only need make sure that the side that mounts is about the same size as your current gutters in order to use the old gutter as a guide.
The gutter should have a quarter inch of slope per 10 feet.
If gutters don t slope water gathers in them.
So if you have a 25 foot section of guttering you should set the downspout end of the gutter 5 8 of an inch lower 1 4 x 2 5 5 8 than the other end.
Get on a ladder after a rainstorm and look in the gutter.
Snap a chalk line between the two and find the spots where the gutter is out of alignment.
The amount of collected water increases until it spills over the sides of the gutter.
Loosen the drip edge with a screwdriver.
A good guideline is that the pitch should cause a decrease somewhere between 1 to 2 inches over a 40 foot run.
Pull the gutter down about 3 quarters of an inch lower than it originally was.
If gutters slope too severely they don t hold water and water could splash over the sides in heavy rain.
If there s standing water it s not pitched properly.
Once the gutter is properly pitched re install the gutter.
Drop the gutter to the desired angle sloping it toward the downspout.
Multiply the number of feet by 1 16 inch to determine the total slope the gutter requires.
So what s the ideal amount of slope for your gutters.
This means that your gutter should be a half inch lower in height at every 10 foot mark until you reach the downspout.
Most contractors tend to set the slop at one quarter inch per ten feet of guttering.
The gutter slope also called the pitch is the amount the gutter tilts down to let rainwater flow out of it.
