Slope every gutter toward its downspout by at least 1/4 inch for every 10 feet. That is the minimum in the U.S. Department of Energy's Standard Work Specifications for home repair. On a 40-foot run, the outlet end sits at least 1 inch lower than the far end. Water standing in a clean gutter after rain means the pitch is off, and a guard will not fix that.
A level gutter holds water.
Backed by Wood & Wood Seamless Gutters, more than 30 years in the gutter business.
What the spec says
The Department of Energy's Standard Work Specifications give one gutter detail with four lines: size the gutter for the area it drains, attach it with screws, slope it toward the downspouts at least 1/4 inch per 10 feet, and make every seam watertight.
How to check yours
After a rain stops, look along a clean gutter. Water should run to the outlet and leave the trough empty. Puddles in the middle or at the far end mean that stretch is flat or sloped the wrong way.
To measure, stretch a string line from end to end and set a level against it. Divide the drop by the length in tens of feet; less than 1/4 inch per 10 feet is too flat.
What bad pitch costs you
Standing water from poor pitch is one of the signs on our gutter replacement list. A guard cannot correct it, which is why Gutter Clean Pro goes only on gutters that already drain.
On new gutters the installer sets the pitch first. T-Rex is a continuous hanger, so the gutter is supported along the whole run.
What it costs
New gutters with T-Rex start at $25 a foot installed. Over sound, correctly pitched gutters, Gutter Clean Pro is from $18 a foot.
Call to install: every step
Three ways to start
- Call (617) 401-9301. It is answered any hour, and a missed call gets called back.
- Send the short form on the home page with your street address, and your number lands in your inbox.
- Text or chat through the chat window on this site.
Understand what you actually need
About fifteen minutes on the phone: the length of the roofline, the number of stories and the trees around the house. The roofline is measured remotely, so nobody comes to the house to sell. You get your price the same day, from the published per-foot rates.
- Gutters still in good shape: Gutter Clean Pro goes over the gutters you already have, from $18/ft.
- Gutters that need replacing: new gutters with the guard built in. T-Rex (continuous hanger) from $25/ft, or DoublePro (two filtration layers) from $30/ft.
- Fascia that cannot be drilled: Hover Pro, quoted for your house.
- Complex rooflines, third stories and copper are quoted separately, and we say so on the call, never after arrival.
Your plan, in writing
You get a written quote and your StormRail plan: photos of your house, the system, the gutter size and your color choices. The certified installer works from that same plan, so you and the installer are never on different pages.
A deposit capped at one third
Massachusetts law caps a home-improvement deposit at one third of the contract. We hold to that in every state we work in. Your quote names the exact figure before you pay anything.
Material ordered and confirmed
Your Alu-Rex system is ordered through the Alu-Rex distributor and confirmed before an install date is set, so the date you get is one the material can meet.
Scheduled with a certified installer in your county
A certified Alu-Rex installer working in your area takes the job, and you get the date without chasing anyone. In season we're typically booking four to six weeks out. We'd rather tell you that now than promise you Tuesday and send whoever happened to be free. Emergency work — a collapsed run, active water in the basement — gets triaged ahead of the queue.
Installed
The installer fits the system on the plan you already approved. Any balance is due as your quote states.
After the install
We check in after the job is done. Each system carries its own written Alu-Rex warranty:
- Gutter Clean Pro: manufacturing lifetime limited, clog performance lifetime limited, including coniferous areas
- T-Rex: manufacturing lifetime limited, clog performance 25-year prorated limited
- DoublePro: manufacturing lifetime limited, clog performance lifetime limited, including coniferous areas
Questions homeowners ask
Should gutters be sloped?
Yes. Without slope, water sits in the trough.
How much slope does a 30-foot gutter need?
At least 3/4 inch from end to end, at 1/4 inch per 10 feet.
How do I get a price?
Call (617) 401-9301 and tell us where water stands in your gutters. We price the fix on the same call.
Compare the systems before you call: all gutter guards, Gutter Clean Pro, T-Rex, DoublePro, and the full price list.
Sources
- U.S. DOE Standard Work Specifications, detail 2.0201.1: Gutters sws.nlr.gov/spec/202011
- Alu-Rex T-Rex product page alu-rex.com/en/t-rex
Get a number for your roofline
One call is enough to start: the address, how many stories, and what grows over the roof. The published per-foot rate is the starting point, and the full scope and total are confirmed in writing before you pay anything.
Call (617) 401-9301