Why Your Gutters Overflow in Heavy Rain
A gutter overflows for one of five reasons: the outlet is blocked, the downpipe is blocked, the gutter has lost its fall, it is too small for the roof, or the gully at the bottom is backing up. A clean fixes the first two, which are by far the most common. Where the water comes over tells you which it is.
Read the overflow from the ground before anyone comes out.
Free, no obligation. One local company prices it, not five.
- 5 causesof an overflowing gutter
- 2 of themfixed by a clean
- 124 mmDecember rain in Cork city
Where the water comes over
| What you see | The likely cause | Does a clean fix it? |
|---|---|---|
| Water pouring over at the downpipe end | The outlet or the downpipe is blocked | Yes |
| Water over the middle of the run | The gutter sags, or is full of moss | A clean, or a bracket repair |
| Water over the end away from the downpipe | The gutter falls the wrong way | No: the fall is reset |
| Water behind the gutter, down the wall | The felt has rotted back, or the gutter sits too low | No: an eaves repair |
| Water coming up at the ground | The gully or the drain is blocked | The gully is cleared by hand |
| Over the whole length in a cloudburst only | The gutter is too small for the roof | No: a deeper gutter or another downpipe |
Why it shows up in Cork first
A half-blocked outlet copes with drizzle. It fails in a downpour. Cork city gets 118 mm in October, 117 mm in November and 124 mm in December, and Dunmanway gets 1,763 mm across the year. The first winter storm is when most people find out the gutters were due.
What the damage looks like if it's left
- A green or dark streak down the wall under the overflow.
- Damp on the inside of that wall, often in an upstairs corner.
- A fascia that's soft to a screwdriver.
- Paving or a patio that's sunk where the water lands.
What a clean costs
| Job | Typical cost | What moves the price |
|---|---|---|
| Gutter cleaning, two-storey terrace or semi | €70 to €280 | Two or three sides, how full, how easy to reach |
| Cleaned and the downpipes flushed, 3-bed semi | €120 to €280 | Blocked downpipes rodded and flushed through |
| Gutter cleaning, two-storey detached house | €120 to €280 | All four sides, the length of the roofline |
Cleaning a house is at the reduced 13.5% VAT rate. Ask for a written price that includes it.
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More on Cork gutters
Costs, moss, overflows and timing.
What it costs in CorkEvery house type. €60 to €180 for a bungalow.
Moss in the guttersWhy Cork roofs shed so much of it, and what stops it.
Cleaned from the groundA vacuum on a pole, a camera on top, nobody on a ladder.
The Cork gutter year124 mm falls on the city in December. Clean before it.
Sheds, shops and blocksLong runs, valley gutters and yearly contracts.Gutter cleaning across Cork
- Cork city1,109 mm of rain a year
- Carrigaline1,178 mm of rain a year
- Cobh1,087 mm of rain a year
- Midleton1,108 mm of rain a year
- Mallow1,072 mm of rain a year
- Youghal1,033 mm of rain a year
- Bandon1,331 mm of rain a year
- Fermoy1,093 mm of rain a year
- Kinsale1,160 mm of rain a year
- Clonakilty1,366 mm of rain a year
- Macroom1,379 mm of rain a year
- Skibbereen1,403 mm of rain a year
- Passage West1,103 mm of rain a year
- Carrigtwohill1,112 mm of rain a year
- Blarney1,142 mm of rain a year
- Crosshaven1,101 mm of rain a year
- Bantry1,611 mm of rain a year
- Charleville996 mm of rain a year
- Mitchelstown1,145 mm of rain a year
- Kanturk1,148 mm of rain a year
- Dunmanway1,763 mm of rain a year
- Millstreet1,500 mm of rain a year
Plan your gutter cleaning
Four taps: the building, what's in the gutters, the trees and how often. You see our price and when to book it. Your number is only asked for at the end, if you want one gutter cleaning company that covers your part of Cork to ring you.
Questions people ask
My gutters only overflow in very heavy rain. Is that normal?
A short spill in a cloudburst can be. Every heavy shower is not: the outlet is restricted or the gutter is too small.
They were cleaned last month and still overflow. Why?
Then it isn't a blockage. Look for a sag, a wrong fall or a blocked gully at the bottom.
Who fixes the fall?
A gutter repair company resets the brackets. Tell the cleaner when they're up and ask them to check it with water.
Get your gutters cleaned before the December rain
One local gutter cleaning company. Free, no obligation. Nothing is booked until you say yes.