# What sould gutter pitch at?



## doubleaction

I have always heard 1/16" -1/8" depending on how long of run. (Longer run less pitch. But have recently became involved in an argument with a aquatince, they say to run them level? What is rule of thumb on gutters?

Thanks


----------



## Leo G

As much pitch as you can get out of a run is best. Without making the reveal look stupid. Running them flat is asking for problems down the line. Freezing in the winter and then the gutters fall off because of all the weight, mud forming in the summer because of the leaves that decay and have no where to go. Any pitch is better than none.


----------



## Norrrrrrrrrrrrm

I have heard and done 1/8 per foot. you definately want that water to move or you will have problems down the road.


----------



## Tom Struble

thing is you should check with a level.
Ive seen facia that was way out.


----------



## Tom M

In my opinion some pitch is good, I'd say 1/8 per ft. My gutter installer keeps them close to level unless something above dumps into it. I have never had an issue with this, as for mud and sludge build up----it makes no difference it dont move inside the gutter. Simply put dirty gutters attract more dirt than a smooth surface so its best to flush out the gutters when you do clean them. If you think about it, a gutter with zero pitch that has 2 spouts cant hold water.


----------



## A W Smith

*zero to 1/16 per foot.*

dirt and mud will seek its own level anyway. I have seen gutters with excessive pitch tear themselves off buildings because the ends at the leaders get overrun with debris and get clogged and filled with 3 inches of mud. Ask yourself where would you rather have your mud? evenly distributed across the gutter or all at the ends where your drop tubes are? also consider that on the lowest ends during a hard storm rain will overshoot the gutter. In theory If your gutters are dead level the ice and mud wont be very deep. plus it looks nicer on the facia. Myself though I always pitch my gutters at least some minimal amount.

but the correct answer is,, it depends.

Had to edit my post as 1/8 is WAY too much. for a 30 foot gutter thats 1 7/8 inches of crown And ive NEVER done that much,


----------



## nlgutters

We always run level and never have had an issue. When you over pitch is when you really have an issue.
Water self levels itself so if you have a gutter that is pitched 2" in the wrong direction it will fill with 2" of water then drain. If you have a gutter rip of an asphalt roof beacuse of this your gutters are not strong enough.


----------



## Tom Struble

i think the theory is like when you pitch a waste line,too little pitch theres not enough flow to remove debris,too much pitch and water flows around any debris


----------



## red_cedar

no more then a 1/4" to a 1/2" per 20'


----------



## rbsremodeling

red_cedar said:


> 1/4" to a 1/2" per 20'


I do that per 10 feet


----------



## cleveman

I don't care for mosquitoes.

I jam it up under the drip edge as far as possible-hope it hits the bottom of the drip edge. Then on the downhill side, on a 48' long building for example, I'll have the bottom of the gutter flush with the soffit. This is on a 2x6 fascia, so I'm hopefully dropping 5 1/2" over 24', which is less than 1/4" per foot.

There is a quite noticeable crown on the building this way, but I haven't had any complaints. If people want it level, I say make them pay to fumigate for mosquitoes every summer. These level ones are constantly wet just from the dew in the morning.


----------



## red_cedar

Another way to view this, is what material, kind of customer and neighborhood you are in.

Aluminum seamless gutters in a area that home values are lower to moderate then its not as imortant. 
Some copper gutters you want to keep the pitch not so noticable, but still pitched, because they tend to be looked at as more ornate. Like a picture frame to a picture.
One is framing the roof perimeter so to speak.

I keep the pitch to a minimum ( as least try to ) with steel, copper and aluminum, just because thats what looks better to my eyes and still does not allow for standing water. 

Once the water gets going it keeps going on its own.
Running the gutters level will only be good for continuous run aluminum.
Other metals you will be limiting the material service life.

Just my opinion.


----------



## Lou the roofer

I don't have a X" per foot rule but i would guess it's close to 1/16 per foot.
I use my 4 foot level to determine to pitch.
I don't understand why someone would have them level


----------



## AAA Gutter

I do try to get some pitch to the gutter when possible, a level gutter will drain all of the water.

What I try to avoid is, a belly or low spot in the gutter that will hold water and give you problems.:sad:

and what does a little water in a gutter matter? evaporation will take care of it:clap:


----------



## Duane1982

My gutter guy runs level all the way until 2-4 feet from the end then gives it 1/8-1/4 downward into the downspout.

Water runs level naturally. 

Hasn't anyone ever used a water level??


----------

