Avoid Rain Water "Fly-Over" on Gutter End Caps

If a gutter is lined up to the edge of the shingles then water tends to flow over the gutter end cap.  Through the process of water surface tension, water will flow down the gutters to the fascia board, soffit and down the siding or wall of the home.  Water damage is very common in this area.

Gutters should extend beyond or past the edge of the roof line at least 1" in order to catch every drop the rain water coming down the edge of the roof instead of trickling down the side of your home's siding or wall.  More often than not, the gutters are not positioned properly at the ends of the run of gutter.  We see this problem too frequently when gutters are either installed by unqualified "contactors" or gutters are purchased in sections (10' or 15') from big box stores.

This problem needs to be taken into account when installing gutter protection (gutter guards) because the problem if unattended, will become much worse.  Here are some solutions:

• Position the new gutter(s) to extend beyond the roof line, if the gutters are being replaced.
• You can have the gutter(s) extended by adding an outside mitred corner that will wrap around the edge of the roof line and is more likely to catch the dripping from the sides of the roof edge.
• The edge of the first row of shingles can be shimmed slightly to direct the flow of water away for the edge and into the gutter(s)
• A diverter can be installed on the roof to direct the flow of water back into the gutter(s)

You can perform a simple inspection from the ground to see if you have this problem on your home.  Look (perhaps with binoculars) at the ends of both your roof line and the gutter end cap.  If the roof line extends beyond or past the gutter end cap, the gutter is short.  If in doubt, call a gutter professional to evaluate.  Most will do this at no charge.