During heavy rain, the water collects from my second floor roof and runs onto the first floor roof as it should. The problem is that since all this water is now concentrated from the second floor downspout, the heavy volume causes it to race down the first floor roof and "jump over" the gutter.
Is there any way to prevent this from happening and to what extent is this a normal, unavoidable result of the heavy rainfall?
I've looked at "gusher guards" but was warned that these might cause damage to the gutters once Winter hits from the snow and ice pulling at them. I'm in Michigan, so lots of snow and ice. I've also considered adding an extension to the second floor downspout so the water is dumped directly where it should be, but I'm afraid it'll stick out like a sore thumb and look janky.
Any suggestions? Is there a "standard" way of dealing with this situation?
Best Answer
This is a common mistake, which will lead to premature roof wear. What the installer should have done, was to install an A to B transition elbow, and continued down the roof with a section of down spout. Then used an A elbow to have the water dump directly into the lower gutter.
It should end up similar to this
Allowing the high volume of water to flow over the roof, will damage the shingles and cause them to wear prematurely. Even if you turn the spout adjacent to the slope, it will still cause damage to the roofing. Spreading the flow over the roof in this way, will not alleviate the damage that is caused. In either case, you're allowing all the water shed from the upper roof, to flow over a small section of the lower roof. It's a terrible idea, and should be avoided.
I'm not sure exactly when builders decided to try and save the $10, by not installing the downspout along the roof. But it makes me so sick every time I see it, I just want to climb up there and fix it myself.