Noisy gutters and dripping downspouts: how to quiet them

Gutter noise usually comes from water dripping onto metal: drops falling from a downspout outlet onto an elbow, a slow drain after rain, or water hitting a splash block. Other sounds are loose hangers rattling in wind and roaring downspouts in heavy rain. Most fixes cost little: a damper, a re-fastened hanger or a restored slope.

What is that sound?

Why do gutters drip long after the rain stops?

The overnight plink is the most common complaint. After rain, water that has pooled in low spots in the gutter keeps trickling to the outlet for hours, and each drop falls down the empty downspout onto the metal of the first elbow like a drum. The noise itself is harmless, but the pooling is not: it is a sign the gutter has lost some of its slope. Checking gutter pitch shows how to confirm it.

How do you stop the drip?

1. 1Fix the pooling. Re-pitching the gutter so it drains quickly after rain shortens the drip from hours to minutes.
2. 2Give the drops something to run down instead of fall through. A narrow strip of outdoor-rated fabric or a purpose-made drip silencer fixed at the top of the downspout lets water trickle down the wall of the pipe quietly. Anything inside the pipe must be secured and narrow so it cannot catch leaves and become a clog.
3. 3Change the landing. If the noise is outside, water hitting a hard splash block or deck, move the discharge onto a textured splash pad or turf, or extend it further away.
4. 4Look for a leak. A drip from a seam rather than the outlet is a failed seal, covered in why gutters leak at the seams.

What causes rattling in the wind?

A rattle means something is loose. Older spike-and-ferrule hangers back out of the fascia over the years, and a gutter that can move a few millimetres knocks against the house with every gust. Downspouts are held to the wall by straps, and a missing or loose strap lets the spout swing. None of this fixes itself, and each windstorm makes it worse, so rattles are worth chasing down.

• Watch the gutter on a windy day and note where it moves.
• Replace backed-out spikes with screwed hidden hangers at those points.
• Add or tighten downspout straps, including one near the top elbow and one near the bottom.
• Check for a raccoon-bent lip or pulled section, which moves in wind. Animals in gutters covers that damage.

Why does my downspout roar in heavy rain?

A long vertical downspout, especially on a two- or three-storey wall next to a bedroom, can sound like a drain pipe because that is what it is. Water free-falls and hits every joint on the way down. It is mostly a comfort issue. Keeping the spout secured tightly to the wall stops it resonating, and on a very long drop some owners reroute the spout down a corner away from bedroom windows.

Gurgling is different. If the sound comes with overflow at the gutter above, air is fighting past a partial clog at an elbow, and it is time to clear the downspout.

What about ticking on sunny days?

A faint tick or pop as the morning sun hits the gutter, or as it cools in the evening, is aluminum expanding and contracting against its hangers. It is normal and usually quietest when hangers allow the gutter to slide slightly. It becomes worth a look only if it comes with a gutter visibly shifting or a seam opening.

Why is wind noise worse near the lake in Pickering?

Pickering stretches from the lakefront at Frenchman's Bay up to the newer northern subdivisions, and the lakefront streets get the wind to prove it. Lake wind finds every loose hanger and every unstrapped downspout, and it drives debris into south-facing gutters even from trees some distance away, which is where the pooling and slow drips start. Bay Ridges bungalows and the two-storeys around Liverpool and Amberlea both show it.

A cleaning clears the debris and the flush proves each spout drains; loose hangers and joints get flagged. Downspout service in Pickering includes clearing blockages and checking where each spout discharges, and small fixes such as refastening hangers are from $89, priced on site and approved before the crew starts.