Every heavy rain, water sheets over the front of the gutter and lands right next to the porch steps. Or there’s a damp spot in the basement after a spring storm, and you suspect the downspout dumping water against the foundation has something to do with it. Gutters in Blue Springs have a big job, and when they can’t keep up, the damage shows up in places you’d never connect to the roof.
That’s frustrating, especially if you’ve already cleaned them out and they still overflow. Often the gutters aren’t dirty. They’re just too small, or there aren’t enough downspouts for the amount of roof feeding them.
APC Roofing installs custom seamless rain gutters on homes across Blue Springs and the Kansas City area. Because we’re roofers first, we look at the roof edge and fascia along with the gutters. APC is GAF Certified, licensed and insured, and has been in business since 2017. Your estimate is free, so call 913-398-5020 and we’ll take a look at your roofline.
What your gutters actually do
Gutters collect the water running off your roof and move it away from the house. That protects more than you’d think: the fascia boards the gutters hang from, the siding and windows below, your landscaping, and most of all your foundation and basement.
When gutters fail, water ends up where it shouldn’t. It soaks the fascia until the wood rots, splashes back onto siding, washes out flower beds, and pools along the foundation where it can find its way into a basement or crawl space.
Why gutters overflow even when they’re clean
A lot of overflowing gutters around Blue Springs aren’t clogged. They’re undersized for the roof above them.
How much water a gutter has to carry depends on how much roof drains into it and how hard the rain falls. Kansas City-area thunderstorms can drop a lot of water in a short burst, and that peak is what a gutter has to handle, not the average rain.
Two things set the capacity. The first is gutter size. Most homes use 5-inch K-style gutters, but a 6-inch gutter carries a good deal more water, which matters on a large or steep roof feeding one long run. The second is downspouts, which are often the real bottleneck. A standard 2×3-inch downspout handles much less water than a larger 3×4-inch one, and long runs usually need more than one.
Valleys are another common trouble spot. Where two roof slopes meet, they funnel water onto a short stretch of gutter, and that’s often the one spot that overflows during every storm. A downspout placed near the valley usually fixes it.
Seamless gutters and why they hold up
Seamless gutters are formed from a continuous coil of metal and cut to the length of each run, so there are no seams along the straight sections. Seams are where traditional sectional gutters tend to drip, sag and collect debris. With seamless gutters, the only joints are at corners, downspouts and end caps. Learn more on our seamless gutters in Blue Springs page.
Aluminum is the most common material for residential seamless gutters. It doesn’t rust, it’s light enough to hang securely on a fascia board, and it comes in colors to match your trim.
Kansas City weather and your gutters
Spring storms test gutters harder than anything else around here. Heavy rain shows whether they’re sized right, and hail can dent them. Those dents are worth noticing. Dented gutters and downspouts after a hailstorm are often a sign the roof took hits too, so it’s smart to have the roof checked. Our storm damage page for Blue Springs explains what to look for.
Winter is the other test. Snow and ice can load a gutter with a lot of weight, so hangers need to be close together and screwed solidly into the fascia. Ice dams form when heat escaping from the house melts snow on the roof and the water refreezes at the colder edge. Gutters don’t cause ice dams, and new gutters won’t cure them, since the fix for ice dams is in the attic: better insulation and sealing the gaps where warm air leaks up. Well-hung gutters do hold up better under the weight and drain the melt once it moves.
Getting water away from the foundation
A downspout that empties right at the corner of the house only moves the problem a few feet. The water needs to land well away from the foundation, on ground that slopes away from the house.
Extensions, splash blocks and buried drain lines all help, each with trade-offs. Extensions are inexpensive but easy to knock loose with a mower. Splash blocks only move water a short way. Buried lines are out of sight but need a cleanout so they don’t clog unnoticed. If you’ve had water in the basement, look at where your downspouts empty before anything else.
Fascia, soffits and the wood behind the gutter
Gutters are only as solid as the board they hang from. Years of overflow can soften the fascia, and a hanger screwed into rotted wood will pull loose under the first heavy load of ice or water. If the fascia or soffit is damaged, it’s best to replace it before new gutters go up. APC Roofing works on fascia and soffits too, so that can be part of the same job.
Signs your gutters need attention
Walk around your house during a hard rain and look for:
- Water pouring over the front edge of the gutter
- Gutters pulling away from the house or sagging between hangers
- Stains or peeling paint on the fascia or siding below the gutter
- Puddles or washed-out soil next to the foundation
- Shingle granules piling up at the bottom of a downspout, which can point to a worn or hail-damaged roof
How it works
- Book your free estimate. Call 913-398-5020 or request a free estimate online.
- Get a clear, honest assessment and estimate. We measure your roof and rooflines, check the fascia and look at where the water goes, then give you a written estimate with gutter and downspout sizes spelled out.
- Your gutters go up and the site gets cleaned up. Old gutters and debris leave with the crew.
Gutters that overflow every storm keep soaking the fascia and the soil along your foundation. Getting them sized right now saves you from bigger repairs later.
Gutter questions from Blue Springs homeowners
Do I need 5-inch or 6-inch gutters?
Many homes do fine with 5-inch gutters. Larger roofs, steep roofs and long runs that collect water from a lot of roof area often need 6-inch gutters to keep up with heavy storms.
Should I replace my gutters when I replace my roof?
It’s often a good time to. The roof edge and fascia are already exposed, and new gutters can be fitted to the new roof edge. If your gutters are in good shape, they can stay.
How many downspouts do I need?
That comes down to how much roof drains into each gutter run. Long runs and runs that catch water from a valley usually need more than one downspout, and larger downspouts move water much faster.
Can you install gutters on a flat roof section?
Many low-slope sections drain to a gutter at the edge. Our flat roofing in Blue Springs page covers how those roofs drain.
Gutters in Blue Springs that keep up
You shouldn’t have to stand at the window during every storm watching water pour over the edge. Call 913-398-5020 or start your free estimate online.
When it’s done, rain goes where it should, the fascia stays dry and your basement stays that way too. For details on the installation process, see our gutter installation in Blue Springs page.
