What are those little rocks in the bottom of my gutter?
Short answer: Many asphalt shingles shed mineral granules that wash into gutters with roof runoff.
Most of the time they are shingle granules — the small mineral grit that coats the surface of asphalt shingles. Shingles shed a little of that grit over their life, and every rain washes it down the roof and into the gutter, where it settles in the bottom like coarse sand. A small amount is normal, on a newer roof shedding loose granules and on an older roof that has been weathering for years. It is one of the first things we look for when we clean a gutter, because it says something about the roof above it.
What matters is how much there is and whether it is building up. A thin layer of granules is just housekeeping, but a heavy pile can narrow the gutter, trap leaves and pine needles against the bottom, and clog the outlet where the water turns down the downspout. If the granule loss suddenly gets heavy — handfuls in the gutter after every rain, or bare-looking patches on the shingles — the roof may be wearing out and losing the coating that protects it from the sun. We cannot judge a roof from the gutter alone, but a gutter full of granules is worth mentioning to your roofer the next time the roof gets looked at.
What we check in Atascocita
When we come out to a home in Atascocita, 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 clogged? Overflow during rain, water backing up near a downspout, and water spilling over the edge are the usual signs. We check the gutter run and the downspouts, including the elbows, to find where the water is getting held up.
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 Atascocita? 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
- Do houses without many trees still need gutter cleaning?
- Why are shingle granules collecting in my gutters?
- How often should gutters be cleaned?
Get it looked at
If this sounds like your yard in Atascocita, 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