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Gutters on a Tall Building

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Lorry Kelly
9/22/2013
I live in a 6 story condominium building, with a metal roof with gutters. From what I can see, our gutters are regular sized, not over-sized gutters. There are no eaves. For many years, we have been having issues with water getting behind the exterior walls of the building, causing leaks and issues on the interior. Many of the owner/occupants believe our issue is due to faulty gutters. Should they be over-sized? Is there a secret to gutters and a metal roof on a tall building? In the past I had a metal roof installed on my home and seem to recall they had me install over-sized gutters. Something to do with the velocity that water sheaths off of the roof because it is so smooth? Truth? No Truth? Thank you for your input.
David Stermer
9/23/2013
Lorry, Thanks for your question. I do not believe the height of the building plays a role in gutter performance. The size of the building, location (arid vs. dry climates) as well as downspout spacing are factors that affect the gutter design. An undersized gutter can cause the symptoms you are experiencing. Using larger gutters would be a reasonable change. Regards, David Stermer
Eric Novotny
An informed customer is the Best Customer!
9/23/2013
+1 and David is 100% correct. If they are undersized, that is an issue. If the drip edge/starter was not done right, that is an issue. Where and when the water is showing up is just as important as any of the details to identify the source and solution.

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