How Far Below Shingles Do Gutter Go

Slope the gutter down form there.

How far below shingles do gutter go.

Without a drip edge water may end up beneath the shingles and may cause damage to various parts of the home. Also called drip edge flashing or d metal they serve a vital function by directing water away from the fascia and into the gutter. In some markets you ll see roofers drop shingles down into the gutter. How far below the drip edge is the current gutter.

In fact they go as far as reinterpreting roof shingle manufacturer warranties and installation instructions to lead you to believe your roof shingle warranty will be voided if you consider an application under a roof shingle. One thing that comes up a lot is how far below the shingles the gutters get hanged. Why can t you install the new gutter in the same place as the old one. When the roof shingles do not extend past the metal drip edge the water will suck back on the metal drip edge this is called capillary action and run behind your gutters.

Drip edges are metal sheets usually shaped like an l installed at the edge of the roof. For example most ranch style homes have a 3 12 or 4 12 pitch roof. No stickout means the water coming off the roof especially in heavy rains when it is cascading off the roof rather than dripping will totally miss the gutter and go straight off onto the ground. Others say the gutter should be tucked up under the drip edge.

Start at the highest point with the back of the gutter as high as it will go up against the bottom of the slate or tile or galvanised iron roof. Shingles extend too far. The flashing should be slid under both the shingles and the roofing paper but if the one you are using is too short to reach the back edge of. Longer overlaps of asphalt shingles past the drip edge will hang over into the gutter will send roof runoff off of the roof rather than into the gutter and will eventually crack break and look gross.

A normal gutter will have about 1 2 3 4 of its width sticking out beyond the shingles to catch the runoff. Installing a slide gutter flashing under the shingles and over the back edge of the gutter will prevent water from running behind your gutters which can cause your fascia to rot and deteriorate over time. This problem is common with homes that have roofs that do not have much pitch to them. I started hanging mine based on a this old house episode which said to hang the gutters low enough so that snow sliding off the roof won t damage the gutters about 2 inches below the shingles.

The fact is gutter covers have been installed under shingles for more than 100 years.