White downpipe and extension beside a red brick wall, with a blue rain barrel nearby.

Before Winter: A Ground-Level Eavestrough and Downspout Checklist

ByRRG Admin

Eastern Ontario winters are tough on eavestroughs. Snow builds up, melts and freezes again, sending water through the troughs and downspouts each time it thaws. A sagging section or a downspout that empties beside the foundation can be easy to overlook in October and hard to ignore in March.

Before freeze-up, spend about 15 minutes walking around the house. You can check everything below from the ground. A few photos and notes will help you explain what you’ve spotted if repairs are needed.

Before you start

  • Pick a dry day with good light.
  • Stay on the ground. Don’t use a ladder or reach into the eavestrough. Use your phone’s zoom or a pair of binoculars for a closer look.
  • Bring your phone for photos and note which side of the house you’re checking.

The walk-around checklist

Check one side of the house at a time.

Eavestroughs

  • Straight runs. Look along each eavestrough for sags or dips where water can collect and freeze.
  • Tight to the house. Check for gaps between the eavestrough and fascia, and sections pulling away from the roofline.
  • Visible debris. Leaves, seedlings or moss sticking out of the top usually mean debris is building up inside.
  • Drips and stains. Look below joints and end caps for drip marks, rust streaks or stains on the siding or brick.
  • Fascia and soffit. Peeling paint, dark stains or boards that look soft above the eavestrough may be signs of water getting where it shouldn’t.

Downspouts

  • Connected all the way down. Check that elbows and sections are joined and brackets hold the downspout against the wall.
  • No damage. Look for crushed, dented or split sections, especially near the ground where downspouts get knocked around.
  • Extended away from the house. Utilities Kingston recommends that downspouts drain over your lawn, at least two metres from your home. If yours empties beside the foundation, put an extension or splash pad on your list.
  • Pointed somewhere sensible. Water shouldn’t flow across a walkway or driveway, where it can freeze, or onto a neighbour’s property.
  • Downspouts that go into the ground. In Kingston, By-law 2008-192 prohibits draining downspouts into the sanitary sewer. If you don’t know where yours connects, note it and ask.

Around the foundation

  • Grading. Check that the ground slopes away from the house. Low spots beside the wall collect water.
  • Washouts. Bare patches, small gullies or mud splashed below an outlet show where water is hitting the ground hard.
  • Window wells. Look for leaves and debris collecting inside them.

Watch it during a rainfall

During a steady rain, watch from a dry spot on the ground. You may see problems that weren’t obvious on a dry day:

  • water spilling over the front edge of an eavestrough
  • water dripping behind the eavestrough or running down the wall
  • joints that drip or spray
  • little or no water coming out of a downspout while the eavestrough above it overflows

Note the time and which side of the house you’re watching so you can explain the problem later.

Keep it flowing through the winter

Keep an eye on downspout outlets after the snow arrives, too. The Government of Canada notes that meltwater around your foundation, especially combined with rain, can lead to basement flooding and recommends keeping snow and ice cleared around the foundation, walkways and downspouts. If a downspout freezes shut or its extension gets buried under a snowbank, water can flow back toward the house.

When to call a professional

Have these problems checked before winter:

  • sagging runs or sections pulling away from the house
  • leaking joints or seams
  • damaged, disconnected or poorly extended downspouts
  • stained, peeling or soft fascia and soffit
  • eavestroughs that overflow in ordinary rain

Rideau Rain Gutter checks bent, loose or pulled-away sections and explains what work is needed. Depending on the condition, that may mean eavestrough repairs for troughs, downpipes, fascia and soffit, or new five- or six-inch seamless aluminum eavestrough installation when replacement makes more sense. Alu-Rex gutter protection is also available for new or existing eavestroughs to help keep debris out and reduce routine maintenance.

Based in Sydenham, Rideau Rain Gutter serves homes within about 75 km, including Kingston, Amherstview, Gananoque, Harrowsmith, Verona and Odessa.

Have your photos and notes handy when you request an estimate.