You could be risking damage to the foundation. It depends if the bed is properly graded or not. If the bed is graded properly, the water will run away from the house and the foundation. If not, the water could run towards the house.
After a heavy rainfall, see if the foundation concrete close to the dirt looks wet. If it stays wet looking for long after the rest of the foundation has dried, it could mean that water is running towards the foundation.
If that's the case, you have 3 options:
- Fix the gutter.
- Regrade the bed.
- Run the risk of your foundation possibly being affected.
Well, fixing the damage won't prevent it from happening again, so to fix this and prevent further damages from ice in the future, you will need to install some hardware. First, you are going to need to get out the ladder and , with some assistance, push the down spout back up and re-attach it to the elbow. I'd use extra fasteners, and possibly a short rubber connection hose to ensure a good tight seal. It is likely ice formation caused the metal to flex, creating a weakness in the fastener, so the rubber hose will help.
The gutter issue really comes down to weight. Installing some "Heavy Load Gutter Brackets" would help. For the distance of gutter and weight on it I'd put in two brackets with each in the middle of the roof jousts near the middle that are shown in the picture.
With all of these fixes, be sure your nails or screws get "purchase" or else it is all for nothing.
EDIT:Use the same fasteners you are using, just use more. Not a ton more, maybe just one or two. Don't use sheet metal screws, use wood screws. Sheet metal screws have smaller thread, wood screws are made for, well, wood. That will handle the horizontal movement. For the vertical sliding, either rivet the joints together(this option costs less, but more permanent, and is more invisible) OR buy a vinyl connector and put a fastener on the connector itself and on the downspout itself just above and just below the connector
Best Answer
I've used Bondo from 3M for gutter repairs. It's a two part fiberglass filler that will bond well with aluminum and plastics. It sets quickly and can be sanded in a few hours.
Just bend the aluminum back in place to support the Bondo. You mght want to use some duct tape on the inside of the gutter to hold it together. I would do the inside first and let it dry to give it structure and then do the outside.
Sand and paint.