Gutters still overflow after cleaning: what should be checked next?

Start with the spill location before choosing the fix.

If your gutters are overflowing after cleaning, the next useful question is where the water leaves its intended path. Does it rise over the front lip, appear behind the gutter, back up near a downspout, or shoot past one corner below a roof valley? Those observations help focus an assessment. They do not, on their own, prove that you need larger gutters or guards.

This guide gives Bergen County homeowners a way to record the problem without climbing, dismantling anything or trying to size a drainage system.

1. Make observations without going into the weather

If the spill is visible from indoors, note its location and take a photograph or short video through the window. Stay inside while it is raining. Do not use a ladder, lean out of a window, go onto a roof or stand beneath loose guttering to investigate.

After the weather clears, photographs from dry, stable ground can show the affected elevation and nearest downspout. Leave anything you cannot see marked “unknown.” Water entering the house or visibly loose components calls for prompt professional attention; do not wait for another rain just to complete the worksheet.

2. Describe which pattern you see

A Over the front edge

B At the wall-side edge

C Around the outlet

D Below a roof valley

A. Water spills over the front edge

Record whether the spill covers much of the run or starts at one low-looking point. Ask the assessor to check remaining obstructions, alignment and support, and the route toward the outlet. A photograph cannot measure the gutter's fall or establish its capacity.

B. Water appears at the wall-side edge

Describe the exact point where water becomes visible: behind the gutter, at a joint, or farther down the wall. Ask for the roof-edge connection and gutter position to be checked, as well as the gutter itself. Avoid calling every wall-side drip an overflowing gutter before its path has been traced.

C. Water backs up near an outlet

Write down whether the gutter appears full near the downspout and whether you can see water leaving the downspout's end. An open gutter trough does not establish that the outlet, elbows or downstream drain are clear. A proper inspection follows the water all the way, including any below-ground drain the downspout feeds.

D. Water shoots past a valley or corner

A roof valley is the inward junction where two roof slopes meet. If a stream passes over the gutter there, record whether it appears to overshoot on arrival or whether the channel fills first. Ask the assessor to distinguish water collection at that point from a restriction farther along the route.

3. Bring a simple overflow record

Use the one-page gutter overflow observation sheet (PDF), or copy these prompts into your phone notes. Sketch the side of the house with the problem, mark each visible downspout with “DP,” each known valley with “V,” and each spill point with “X.” The sketch needs recognizable locations, not measurements.

Keep “what I saw” separate from “what I think caused it.” For example, “water crossed the front lip above the back door” is more useful than “the gutters are too small.” Note any recent roof or gutter work without assuming it caused the problem.

4. Ask about the complete drainage path

A capacity review needs more than the width of the gutter. Ask which roof surfaces feed the affected run, where water enters it, and how the outlets and downspouts carry it away. Downspouts come in more than one size, and choosing among them still requires an assessment of your house.

Ask the professional to explain the proposed layout using the roof conditions, suitable product information and local design requirements. This article does not supply a sizing formula or recommend a universal gutter/downspout combination.

5. Get a recommendation tied to the observed problem

Before approving work, ask:

• What was found, and which photograph or inspection finding supports it?
• Can the affected section be repaired, or does the drainage layout need changing?
• If a size change is proposed, how were the outlets and downstream drainage checked?
• If guards are proposed, what problem are they expected to solve here?
• How will the work be checked afterward, and what remains outside the scope?

Our separate gutter guards and seasonal-care guide covers the maintenance question. For an overflow assessment, start with the observations above and the existing gutter repair and installation services. Homeowners in Ho-Ho-Kus can also see our local gutter services page.

Still seeing overflow? Request a gutter assessment or call (201) 446-5941. Tell us your town, where water spills and when the gutters were last cleaned.