Noise in gutters at night indicates they are not in good shape. The annoying noises in downspouts and gutters mean that there is something wrong with their systems. The issue or issues should be diagnosed and resolved before they transform into a source of costly home foundation or exterior water damage expenses.
In this article, we will take a look at some common causes of gutter noise as well as the answer to how to stop gutter noise.
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Causes of Gutter Noise
Loose Brackets
When the roof of gutters loosens due to heavy storms, high winds, persistent rainfall, or other different elements, their brackets get pulled out of place. This can also be caused by changes in temperature as that can result in contracting and expanding the gutters.
With time, the gutter system’s whole section falls loose and makes the gutters shake with the force of high winds or rain. The shaking alone can produce noise in gutters at night, and it can also result from water splashing against the downspouts.
Clogged Gutters
Clogging of gutters can cause rainwater to not freely flow through the downspouts, making it back up to the roof and overflow to the siding. This not only results in damages but also causes gutter noise. The clogging can happen from debris entering the system and can be mitigated through regular inspection and cleaning.
Wrong Angle
Gutter systems are supposed to have a slope of 0.25 inches after every 10 feet of them. The angle is not visible when you look at a gutter from a distance. The purpose of these slopes is to allow gravity to prevent water from building up on or near the roof by pulling it into the downspouts.
Improperly installed gutters can be too straight, causing the water to accumulate along the edges and drip into the downspouts’ corners. Each drop falling makes a dripping sound that can be louder than one would think.
Related: Do Hip Roofs Need Gutters?
How to Stop Gutter Noise?
Most of us already have several issues on our plates to prevent us from sleeping deeply at night, and we certainly do not want gutter noise to add to them. Here are a few steps you can take to do away with the dripping, plinking, and rattling noises coming from your gutter and downspouts:
Call in an Expert
If you cannot identify the source of noise in gutters, it is not possible to ascertain a remedy for it, and the structure of the gutters and downspouts can weaken a point that would require you to replace the whole system. Therefore, calling in an expert, in that case, might be your best option. However, if you want to save the repair expenses and take on the endeavor of silencing the gutter noise yourself, here are a few DIY tips for it:
Sponge
Take a standard kitchen sponge and stick it inside the end of the gutter’s downspout. This would cause the water to drip on the sponge that will absorb the water as well as the noise it would otherwise have made. The solution is very effective for mitigating the noise in gutters at night but is not permanent as the sponge can accumulate mold in the long term. You can frequently replace it with a new one, but the source of the problem has to be rectified sooner or later to prevent a damaged gutter system.
Tighten Loose Fixtures
If the bothersome gutter noise sounds like rattling, it might be due to a loose screw along the gutter. All you need to do in this case is to follow the noise to determine the source of the noise and tighten the screw with a drill or a screwdriver. You might need a stepladder or a ladder as well to resolve the issue.
Rope
Running a rope through the full length of your downspouts eliminates the noise in gutters at night by allowing the rainwater to travel along its edge instead of hard-hitting the elbow at the bottom of the downspout. The rope catches the water at the top and provides it with a guideline that it can flow against.
Rain Chain
Another effective and simple remedy for silencing gutter noise is replacing downspouts with rain chains. They hang off the end of the gutters and allow the water to move down their full length.
Plastic or Vinyl Elbow
Another way to go about eliminating the noise in gutters at night is replacing the metal bottom elbows with plastic or vinyl tubing that is made of lighter material.
Each of these solutions might not work for every house, but some of them will work for almost all of them. Now that you know how to stop gutter noise, we hope you start getting good nights’ sleep.
However, we strongly recommend that you use the above-mentioned DIY tips as short-term solutions and get the real underlying problem rectified by a professional to keep from being faced with major repair or replacement expenses.
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