How long gutters last
Well-maintained aluminum gutters, by far the most common type, can last more than 20 years and sometimes up to about 30, according to This Old House. Harsh winters, storms, falling limbs and years of clogging shorten that. Steel gutters can rust out sooner if the coating is damaged. Copper lasts much longer but costs much more.
If your home still has its original gutters and was built in the 1990s or earlier, the gutters are likely near the end of their life, even if they still hold water.
Eight warning signs
1. Sagging or pulling away from the house
Gutters that dip in the middle of a run or lean away from the fascia no longer drain properly. Water pools, adds weight, and the sag gets worse. On older systems the cause is usually spikes working loose from softening wood. If one section sags, re-hanging can fix it. If the whole system is loose, replacement is the better choice.
2. Leaking seams and joints
Sectional gutters are joined every 10 feet or so, and every joint is a potential leak. Sealant dries out and cracks with temperature swings. If you see drips from several seams in a rainstorm, you can keep resealing every year or switch to seamless gutters, which are formed on site in one piece per run and only have joints at the corners.
3. Cracks, holes and rust
Small holes in aluminum can be patched. Rust on steel gutters, however, spreads under the paint. Orange streaks, flaking metal and pinholes mean the metal is thinning. Once rust shows through in several places, patching only buys time.
4. Peeling paint and stains on siding or trim
Streaks under the gutter line, peeling paint on the fascia or water marks on the siding show that water is getting behind or over the gutter. That can be an overflow problem (see gutters overflowing in heavy rain) or a gutter that has pulled away from the drip edge.
5. Soft or rotting fascia boards
Press the fascia behind the gutter with a screwdriver from a safe ladder position. If the wood is soft, water has been getting behind the gutters for a while. New hangers cannot hold in rotten wood, so the damaged boards have to be replaced before new gutters go up. Ask how the installer prices fascia repair: included, per board or per foot.
6. Pooling water or erosion near the foundation
Puddles along the house, washed-out mulch, mud splashed on the walls or a damp crawl space or basement after rain point to gutters or downspouts that are not moving water away. Sometimes a longer downspout extension is all it takes. See downspouts and drainage.
7. Standing water and nails on the ground
Water still sitting in the gutter a day after rain means the slope is wrong. Gutter spikes lying on the ground mean the system is working itself loose. Both are signs of an aging installation.
8. Gutters that are too small for the roof
If your gutters overflow in every heavy storm even when they are clean, they may simply be undersized. Many older homes have 5-inch gutters with 2x3-inch downspouts. Replacing them with 6-inch gutters and 3x4-inch downspouts fixes the capacity problem, which no repair can.
Repair or replace? A simple checklist
A repair usually makes sense when:
- The gutters are less than about 15 years old and made of aluminum
- The problem is limited to one or two spots, such as a leaking corner or one sagging section
- The fascia behind the gutter is solid
- The gutters handle heavy rain without overflowing
Replacement usually makes more sense when:
- Several seams leak or you reseal every year
- The gutters sag or pull away in more than one place
- Steel gutters show rust in several spots
- Fascia boards are rotting
- The gutters overflow even when clean, or you are replacing the roof anyway
What repair and replacement cost
| Project | Published range |
|---|---|
| Gutter repair, national (Angi) | $240 – $480 (average about $390) |
| Seamless aluminum gutters per linear foot, installed, national (HomeGuide) | $6 – $12 |
| Upgrade from 5-inch to 6-inch gutters (HomeGuide) | about $1 – $2 more per foot |
| Downspouts per linear foot, installed (HomeGuide) | about $2 – $4 |
| Gutter guards per linear foot, installed, national (Angi) | about $6 – $13 |
Published figures for orientation only, not quotes.
A few repairs a year add up. If you are paying for repairs every season on gutters that are 20 or more years old, the money is usually better spent on a new seamless system. For local prices, see our city pages for Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Washington, DC and Chicago, or the cost guide.
What a gutter replacement visit looks like
Knowing the steps helps you compare quotes and spot shortcuts. On a typical single-family home, a seamless replacement is usually a one-day job:
- Measuring and planning. The installer measures every run, checks the roof edge and drip edge, and plans downspout locations with you, including where the water should go.
- Removal. The old gutters, spikes and downspouts come off and are hauled away. This is the moment to look closely at the fascia and soffit.
- Fascia repair. Soft or rotten boards are replaced before anything new is hung. If the quote says fascia work is extra, ask for the price per board in advance.
- Forming the gutters. A seamless machine on the truck rolls each run from a coil of aluminum to the exact length, so the only joints are at the corners.
- Hanging and sloping. Hangers are fastened into the rafter tails and the gutter is set with a slight fall toward each outlet. A common guideline is about 1/4 inch per 10 feet.
- Downspouts, extensions and guards. Downspouts are strapped to the wall, extensions or underground lines are connected, and guards go on if they are part of the job.
- Water test and cleanup. A good crew runs water through each run to check the slope and outlets before leaving.
Make the new system last longer
- Seamless aluminum in a sufficient gauge, with only corner joints
- Hidden hangers screwed into the rafter tails at close spacing. Angi recommends no more than 3 feet apart, about 2 feet in heavy snow and rain areas
- The right size for your roof and rainfall, with enough downspouts
- Guards matched to your trees, so debris does not sit in the gutter and hold water. See our guard guide
- Downspouts routed away from the foundation
Planning a new roof? Schedule the gutters right after the roof. It saves a second setup, and the installer can check the fascia while it is exposed.