Overflow, sagging runs and downspouts at the foundation
Gutter Repair in Montclair, NJ
Where does the water go once it leaves the roof? Gutter work in Montclair, NJ covers overflow, sagging runs, and downspouts that empty beside the foundation. Call (973) 358-8198 and name the corner that overflows first.
Stop and get safe if
- A gutter hanging over a walkway or a driveway: keep people and cars out from under it until it is secured.
- A ladder near a service drop or any overhead wire: stay ten feet away. A damaged line is PSE&G's to deal with, at 1-800-436-7734.
- A downspout dumping into a flooded basement window well with electrical gear nearby: do not step in. Leave the power to an electrician.
- Ice-glazed steps and ground under the gutter: do not stand a ladder there. Call 911 only if someone has fallen.
One rain, one downspout: follow the water
- Watch the next hard rain from a window. Which corner spills over first? Which downspout is loudest, and which is silent?
- After it stopswalk the foundation. Is there a trench, a wet patch or a pile of grit where a downspout lands?
- That eveningwrite down the corner and the spot. Rutgers' 500-gallon example shows how much water one downspout moves, so a short sentence about where it landed helps the roofer.
- The next dry daycall (973) 358-8198 with your notes.
Where the trouble starts
- Leaves and maple seed pods packed into the trough
- Ice that filled the gutter and pulled it away from the fascia
- Downspouts that end at the foundation instead of out on the lawn
- More water than one downspout can carry in a hard rain
- Built-in gutters on older houses, which Glen Ridge's guidelines say to preserve rather than swap
Short answers
- How urgent is a gutter problem, by your number out of ten?
At 8 to 10, a gutter or ladder is near a wire or water is pouring in at a fixture; step away and phone 911 or PSE&G. At 4 to 7, the same corner overflows every rain, so call (973) 358-8198 within the week. At 1 to 3, a clogged run may only need cleaning out and a little watching.
- How much water does one downspout carry?
Rutgers offers a rule of thumb: 800 square feet of roof sheds roughly 500 gallons through a single downspout in a one-inch storm. A small clog or a short elbow can overwhelm that, which is why overflow often shows at one corner first.
- Where do you point a downspout?
The EPA suggests redirecting downspouts to a lawn, garden or rain barrel so the water soaks in, and cautions that disconnecting is not right everywhere. Some downspouts feed buried pipe that leads to the sewer or a storm drain, which makes local rules the first thing to check.
- Can gutters cause ice dams?
UMass building researchers say they do not cause them, but ice that fills a gutter can tear it off the house. For slate roofs, the National Park Service suggests cleaning at least twice in the fall and once in early spring.
- Does gutter work cover West Orange and Cedar Grove?
Yes. West Orange roofing and Cedar Grove roofing each have their own page. Dial (973) 358-8198 and mention which wall gets soaked when the gutters spill.
What comes out of a gutter in October
The picture shows a gloved hand holding a clump of wet leaves, maple seed pods and grit pulled from a gutter, with the downspout elbow and its splash block just below. Debris packs hardest at the downspout opening, which is why that is the first place to look when water spills over.
The gutter scene is rendered, not a photo of a particular house.
On a visit
- Call (973) 358-8198 with the corner that overflows, the age of the gutters and whether they are bolt-on or built in; the contractor can then plan a look.
- Troughs: sag, loose hangers, open seams and the pitch toward the downspout.
- Downspouts: clogs, crushed sections and where each one ends.
- The edge behind the gutter: fascia boards, drip edge and any water staining.
- Overflow patterns after a hard rain, using your notes about which corner fails first.
- Options, from cleaning and re-hanging to replacement or redirecting a downspout, and the rules for older or historic houses.
Clean, re-hang or replace: a short list
- Overflow only in fall, and clear in winter: cleaning and a fresh look in spring.
- Trough sagging between hangers: re-hanging with new hardware.
- Seams leaking or metal thin: ask about replacement and what it would be made of.
- Downspout ending at the foundation: ask about moving its outlet out onto the lawn.
- Built-in gutters or a historic house: ask about metal repair first, and about the town's rules.
Gutters on historic houses
Glen Ridge's design guidelines say to preserve the configuration of historic gutters, that replacing built-in gutters with exposed ones is not appropriate, and that vinyl or fiberglass typically is not either. The borough's commission reviews changes in its historic district.
Montclair's local historic districts and landmarks need a Certificate of Appropriateness for exterior changes that alter a property's look. More on the rules page.
More roof jobs
Sources U.S. EPA, Soak Up the Rain: Disconnect/Redirect Downspouts Rutgers Water Resources Program, Rain barrel program UMass Amherst Building and Construction Technology, Preventing ice dams (2011) National Park Service, The Repair, Replacement, and Maintenance of Historic Slate Roofs (Preservation Brief, 1993) Borough of Glen Ridge Historic Preservation Commission, Historic Design Guidelines (2021), roof section New Jersey Weather and Climate Network, Remnants of Ida strike New Jersey Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association, Assessing roof damage after Superstorm Sandy (7 Nov 2012)
Describe the roof, then dial.
Before you call (973) 358-8198, find the street address, note which room shows water and jot down roughly how old the roof is. Tenants: the owner arranges roof work, so the landlord hears about it first. Towns: Montclair, Glen Ridge, Bloomfield, West Orange, Cedar Grove, Clifton, Little Falls.