Gutter Deflectors Are Wrong

[Nehmo Sergheyev]

Two pitched roofs meet at a right angle and form a valley. At the eaves of these roofs are gutters (eave troughs) that meet at a right angle at the bottom of the valley. On the inside of that angle, on the side of the gutters furthest from the eaves, there is a piece of sheet metal bent in a right angle and fastened inside the gutters and going perpendicular to the ground.

You see this piece of metal a lot, and it's called a deflector. Apparently it's to divert a deluge of water coming down the valley. This time of the year over here in the mid-northern latitudes, there's often a pile of leaves behind the deflector. I would think whatever help it might give in diverting water is out weighed by the disadvantage of collecting leaves and thus promoting clogs.

[Frank K.]

Remove it if you don't mind water overflowing the gutters at that corner. One problem with removing the deflector is that there is more water coming down the valley than anyplace else and the overflow will not be directed away from the corner of the foundation. It will also erode the soil in that corner.

Maybe just cutting the deflector down in height may help.

The leaves are going to be a problem regardless of the deflector. You might go to Lowe's or HD and get one or two sections of gutter guard and cut it so it just protects the gutter at the corner

Frank

[JD]

Is there a question there?

[Tom J]

The leaves are laying in the valley of the roof, so when it rains they come right down that valley and some pile up in the corner. The only thing that might solve that problem, besides regular gutter cleaning like I do, would be to talk to some of the "gutter guard" type installers and see if their $8 a foot gutters will solve this problem. If they install, they promise to clean any clogs.

Tom J

[Nehmo Sergheyev]

Nehmo

JD

Nehmo It's a declaration that implies the question: Do the disadvantages of deflectors outweigh their benefits?

[JD]

As others have mentioned, you can have the eaves at the deflector or in the gutter -- your choice.

[Joseph Meehan]

Look at it as a leaf problem and not a deflector problem and I think you will find your answer.

[Tom]

"Frank K." replied:

I concur. The house I bought didn't have deflectors. Every decent rain made a garden hose sized stream of water shoot out from the corner of the roof, creating a swampy, muddy mess in the yard below. Now we have deflectors, we have gutter guards, and we have grass instead of mud.

Tom

[v]

So take it out if that's what you think. And then I think you will find the leaves are still there but now there is nothing to deflect the water. Test it empirically and let us know.

-v.