A gutter must be installed along the edge of each roof line, with a downspout to drain accumulated water. A downspout from an upper roof must flow into a lower gutter. It should never drain directly onto the roof, as this will cause premature deterioration of the shingles and roof deck. The gutters should drain water at least 4-6 feet, but preferably 10 feet away from the house.
Be sure to connect the gutter securely to the roof eaves. In addition, each downspout must drain a maximum of 35 feet of gutter. In addition, perform routine maintenance to ensure that dirt does not clog the drain system. One or more downspouts end above the roof surfaces instead of leading to the gutters located below or at ground level.
This is very common, but it can reduce the lifespan of the roof surface materials below because large amounts of water frequently flow over the roof surface. As a result, the granules are normally removed from the tiles of the composition and leaks may occur. Recommend that a qualified contractor install extensions as needed so that downspouts do not end up above roof surfaces. The gutter installation company I reviewed didn't want to carry the gutter to the adjacent roof line in an attempt to capture water from the valley.
I don't like gutter installers pouring water from their gutters anywhere on the roof below. Historically, the upper roof has had a gutter with a downspout that is located in the lower roof and extends to the lower gutter. I doubt that the force of water on the gutter is a factor, but it might be a better question to ask a gutter installer. Keep this in mind if you are considering installing downspout extensions to connect the upper gutters to the lower ones.
A hole in the bottom of the gutter or an open end of the gutter will only shed water in case of heavy rain. For gutters that are heavily obstructed, it may be worth installing a commercially available gutter protector type. We always suggest connecting the gutters on the upper level to those on the lower level using downspout extensions in almost any situation. It is very common for dormers and other roof structures that have gutters above the level of the gutters in the lower parts of the roof to empty onto the roof surface.
Homeowners can clean their gutters on their own or hire a professional gutter company in The Woodlands or in their specific region. The best way to ensure that gutters drain properly is to inspect the gutter system with a ladder after heavy rain. In this first image you can see where the gutter has been cut at the same slope as the roof to allow the gutter to empty onto the roof surface. When this happens, it can cause a variety of problems and also adds stress to the gutter system by overwhelming the gutters.
With the gutter two floors up, it will be very difficult to get there and clean it, so I wonder if it would be acceptable to have the gutter open at one end, so that the water and leaves simply come out flush naturally, rather than putting a downspout that clogs and requires cleaning. One of the most common reasons for large amounts of stagnant water in a gutter system is simply because the gutters are clogged.
