How much does water in a gutter weigh?
Short answer: Water weighs about 8.34 pounds per gallon, so a gutter holding several gallons carries substantial additional weight.
More than most people expect. Water weighs about 8.34 pounds per gallon, and a gutter full of standing water can be holding several gallons in a single run — which means tens of pounds hanging off the fascia on a handful of screws, every day, for as long as the water sits there. Add the leaves and wet debris that usually come with standing water, and the load gets heavier still. That is a lot of weight for a system that was built to carry water away, not to store it.
That weight is why standing water turns into a sag, and a sag turns into more standing water. The middle of a run dips a little under the load, the dip holds more water, and the hangers on either side take more strain until the screws start working loose in the fascia. In a hard Houston rain the gutter is carrying moving water through it, which is what it was built for — the trouble starts when the rain stops and the water stays. If a run still holds water a day after the rain, the weight is already doing its work, and that is the time to have it looked at.
What we check in Fall Creek
When we come out to a home in Fall Creek, we look at this up close — the gutter run, the downspouts, the fascia behind it, and where the water actually goes when it rains. If it ties into the rest of the system, we check that too, so we are not fixing one piece while the next piece sends the water right back. See our Seamless Gutters page for what that system looks like when it is done right — and if the fix is really a drainage question, our Drainage Solutions page covers that side of it.
Related reading: Seamless Gutters · Drainage Solutions · All questions · Contact us
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my gutters are holding water? Look at them after the rain stops. If water is still sitting in a section instead of draining toward a downspout, something about the pitch, the supports, or a low spot needs a closer look.
Do I need a professional to look at it? If you are seeing the signs described above, yes — it is worth having someone look at it in person before it turns into fascia damage, erosion, or water where it should not be. Call or text Orion’s Rain at (281) 504-9998 and we will tell you what we find.
Do you serve Fall Creek? Yes. Orion’s Rain serves Kingwood and the Lake Houston area — Kingwood, Atascocita, Porter, Humble, New Caney, Summerwood, Fall Creek, Huffman, and Eagle Springs. Call or text (281) 504-9998, 24 hours a day.
Related questions
- Can standing water make a sagging gutter worse?
- Why is my gutter pulling away from the house?
- Why do gutters sag?
Get it looked at
If this sounds like your yard in Fall Creek, call or text Orion’s Rain at (281) 504-9998 — 24 hours a day. We will test the system and tell you what is actually wrong, and what it will take to fix it the right way.
Orion’s Rain Smartscapes and Exteriors — (281) 504-9998 — LI0029444