Your gutters probably are not clogged. They are too small.
When a gutter pours over the front edge during a hard rain, almost everyone assumes leaves. Often the real answer is that the gutter and downspouts were never sized for the roof above them. Five-inch is the default almost every contractor installs, and on plenty of Morris County homes it is simply not enough trough.
5-inch K-style
About 1.2 gallons per linear foot. Handles roof areas up to roughly 5,500 sq ft. Pairs with 2x3 or 3x4 downspouts. Right for most standard suburban homes.
6-inch K-style
About 2.0 gallons per linear foot — close to 50% more capacity. For larger roof areas, steep pitches, or long planes draining into a short run. Always gets 3x4 downspouts.
Downspouts matter just as much. The working rule is one downspout per 40 feet of run, plus another wherever the gutter turns a corner. A 60-foot run draining through a single 2x3 is going to overflow no matter how clean it is.
Steep roofs are the other factor people miss. Water coming off a steep plane carries enough speed to shoot straight over a 5-inch trough. Morris County has a lot of those roofs, which is why we spec 6-inch here more often than the national averages would suggest.
Your gutters did not cause your ice dam
Every winter somebody gets told to tear their gutters off to stop ice dams. That advice is wrong, and it costs people money twice — once removing perfectly good gutters, and again when the ice dam comes back anyway.
An ice dam forms because heat escaping through the roof deck warms the snow sitting above the heated part of the house past 32 degrees. That meltwater runs down to the overhang, where there is no attic space underneath and the deck stays cold, and it refreezes there. The dam builds up and pushes water backward under the shingles.
Gutters do not start any of that. What they do is extend the cold overhang outward, so the ice grows thicker and reaches further than it would on a house without them. That is a real effect, but it is a symptom, not a cause.
The actual fix is attic insulation and ventilation — stop the heat loss and the snow stops melting out of season. Ice and water barrier at the eaves protects the roof deck while you sort that out. If a contractor quotes you gutter removal as an ice dam solution, get another opinion.
Gutter guards: what works and what does not
Worth the money
- Rigid micro-mesh, properly fastened
- Homes under heavy oak or pine cover
- Two-story and steep roofs where cleaning is genuinely dangerous
- Paired with correctly sized gutters underneath
Skip it
- Foam inserts — debris packs in, holds moisture, clogs worse
- Brush-style — same problem, easier to sell
- Any guard sold as “never clean your gutters again”
- Guards installed over gutters that are already undersized
No guard makes a gutter maintenance-free. A good one stretches cleaning from twice a year to once every two or three. That is a real benefit and it is worth paying for under the right trees — but it is not what the ads promise.
Check the wood before you hang new gutters on it
Gutters hang off the fascia board. If the old gutters have been overflowing, pulling away, or holding standing water for a few seasons, the wood behind them is frequently soft or rotted through — and you cannot see it until the old gutters come down.
New gutters fastened into rotted fascia sag within a season, and then you are paying twice. We check the fascia and the drip edge before quoting, and if wood work is needed it goes in the estimate up front rather than appearing as a change order on the day of install.
What we do
Seamless installation
Aluminum formed on site to the exact length of each run, so the only seams are at corners and outlets. Fewer seams, fewer leaks.
Gutter replacement
Full tear-off, fascia and drip edge inspection, correct sizing, and hidden hangers fastened into solid wood rather than spike-and-ferrule.
Repairs and resloping
Sagging runs, pulled hangers, separated corners, and gutters pitched the wrong way so water sits in them.
Downspouts and drainage
Correct count and size, plus extensions or underground runs to get water away from the foundation instead of into the basement.
Gutter guards
Micro-mesh where the trees justify it. We will tell you when they do not.
Cleaning
Twice-yearly service for homes under heavy cover. Debris bagged and removed, downspouts flushed and checked.
Gutter work across North Jersey
Morris, Somerset, Essex, Passaic, and Bergen counties. Towns where we work most often:
Gutter work pairs naturally with roof work — if you are replacing the roof, doing gutters at the same time saves you a second setup. See all services, or storm damage if wind tore a run loose.
Gutter questions
Do gutters cause ice dams?
No. An ice dam forms because heat escaping through the roof deck warms the snow above the heated part of the house past 32 degrees, and that meltwater runs down and refreezes over the cold overhang where there is no attic space beneath. Gutters do not start that process. What they do is extend the cold overhang outward, so the ice grows thicker and further out than it would on a house with no gutters. The fix is insulation and attic ventilation, not tearing the gutters off.
Do I need 5-inch or 6-inch gutters?
Most North Jersey homes are fine with 5-inch K-style, which handles roof areas up to roughly 5,500 square feet. You want 6-inch when the roof area is larger, when the pitch is steep enough to throw water past a 5-inch trough, or when a long roof plane dumps into one short gutter run. The capacity difference is real: 5-inch holds about 1.2 gallons per linear foot and 6-inch holds about 2.0, close to 50 percent more. Steep Morris County roofs are the most common reason we spec 6-inch.
How many downspouts does my house need?
The working rule is one downspout per 40 feet of gutter run, plus extra wherever the gutter changes direction. Undersized or too-few downspouts are the most common reason gutters overflow in a heavy storm, and homeowners usually blame the gutter when the actual problem is that a 60-foot run is draining through a single 2x3 downspout. Five-inch gutters pair with 2x3 or 3x4 downspouts. Six-inch should always get 3x4.
Are gutter guards worth it?
It depends on the product and on your trees. Rigid micro-mesh guards genuinely reduce cleaning frequency and are worth the money under heavy tree cover. Foam inserts and brush-style guards are cheap, and they fail the same way every time: debris packs into them, they hold moisture against the gutter, and you end up cleaning more often than before. No guard makes a gutter maintenance-free, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling. We will tell you honestly whether your trees justify the cost.
How often do gutters need cleaning in Morris County?
Twice a year for most homes here, once in late spring after the oaks drop their tassels and once in late fall after the leaves are down. Under heavy tree cover, three times is more realistic. Morris and Somerset counties are far more wooded than the rest of North Jersey, which is why the cleaning interval here is shorter than generic advice you will find online.
Do I need a permit to replace gutters in New Jersey?
No. Gutter replacement is ordinary maintenance under the New Jersey Uniform Construction Code and does not require a construction permit. That is true whether you are replacing a single run or the whole house. If a contractor tells you they need to pull a permit for gutters and adds a fee for it, ask them which subcode it falls under.
Can you replace gutters without replacing the roof?
Yes, and most of the time that is exactly what we do. The one thing we check first is the fascia board behind the existing gutter. If gutters have been overflowing or pulling away for years, the wood behind them is often soft or rotted, and hanging new gutters on rotted fascia means they sag within a season. We tell you before we quote if fascia work is needed, rather than discovering it after the old gutters come down.
Get gutters sized for your roof
We measure the roof area and the pitch before we quote a size. Free estimate, flat price in writing, no change orders on install day.
201-396-5509American Sons Professionals · GAF Master Elite® · NJ HIC #13VH09666100