When should you replace gutters and downspouts?

Downspout-specific warning signs

• Crushed or kinked sections. Lawn mowers, ladders and kids flatten the bottom few feet, choking the flow.
• Separated joints. Sections pulled apart at elbows, spilling water against the wall.
• Loose straps. Downspouts swinging free in wind loosen their connections.
• Repeated clogs. A 2 by 3 inch downspout under a big roof area or heavy trees may simply be too small.
• Rust or splits along the seams of steel or vinyl downspouts.
• Failing underground drains. Water bubbling up at the downspout base, soggy ground along the buried line, or no water exiting at the outlet.

Replace together or separately?

If the gutters are sound and only a downspout is damaged, replace that downspout on its own; color matching is usually easy. If the gutters are being replaced, replace the downspouts too. Outlet sizes change, old downspouts may not fit new outlets, and it is the moment to upgrade to 3 by 4 inch downspouts, which carry roughly twice the water and clog far less often.

Do not forget where the water goes

Many Georgia homes have downspouts tied into buried corrugated pipe that silts up with red clay over time. When replacing downspouts, flush or camera the buried lines, or add above-ground extensions that discharge several feet from the foundation onto ground that slopes away. A new downspout feeding a clogged pipe still dumps water at the foundation.

See gutter sizing and seamless gutters and our Georgia roof maintenance checklist.