Why is rainwater missing my gutters?
Gutters installed too high against the roof edge push shingles upward and cause rainwater to overshoot the trough entirely, pooling on the ground below. Fixing the issue requires lowering and repitching the gutter run so it sits flush beneath the roofline rather than pressing against the shingles.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- This comes up 20.0× more often in r/HomeMaintenance than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Trim shinglesDid this help you?
- 2Add a water diverterDid this help you?
- 3Lower and repitch the gutter runDid this help you?
- 4Reseal the leaking endcapDid this help you?
- 5Accept the tiny drip and move onDid this help you?
- 6Installing an extension under the drip apron that extends over the back edge of the gutter and securing it with gutter screwsDid this help you?
- 7Slipping a new drip edge in between the shingles and the existing drip apron and securing it with roofing sealerDid this help you?
- 8Install a piece of flashing or metal to redirect the water into the gutter, sealing screws and edges with roof sealant.Did this help you?
- 9Mount extensions or flashing on top of the gutter to catch the runoff and prevent overshooting.Did this help you?
- 10Adding a small piece of flashing to redirect the drip edge.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“The only way to fix that is to reseal the endcap and lower the gutter to where it isn’t pushing the shingle up so high.”source ↗
“From the limited angle I can see it appears the gutter is too high, causing "cupped" shingles. The only solution is to lower and repitch the run of gutter.”source ↗
“I just had my gutter replaced and the water is dripping from the side and the gutter guy said he cant do much about it since its the way the house is built.”source ↗
“Water follows the drip-edge flange downward (red arrow), hits the back of the gutter, and then drops straight down the outside instead of flowing into the gutter.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 10Water leaking from roof corners and sidewalls
- 7Water leaking behind new gutters and soffits
- 5How to stop roof runoff from missing the gutter and hitting the deck
- 2Why is water coming out of this unconnected pipe?
- 15How to stop roof water from overflowing and rotting the window sill
- 15Why are my new gutters leaking from behind?