Gutter Installation & Repair in Totowa, NJ

Rain and Runoff in Totowa

Totowa has seen what a few hours of hard rain can do. In August 2018, a storm flooded Greene Avenue, Echo Glen, Shepherds Lane and other areas, and residents told the borough council afterward that local drains were choked with mud and debris. In some spots the risk is bigger still: in 2016, four homes on Norwood Terrace were slated for demolition under a flood buyout program.

Gutters cannot hold back floodwater or fix an overwhelmed storm drain, and we will not tell you otherwise. What they can do is catch the water that falls on your roof, which on a typical house is a lot of water in a single storm, and carry it away from the foundation. Overflowing or missing gutters dump that water right beside the basement walls, and that is a common reason Totowa basements get damp after heavy rain even when the street does not flood. The borough posts FEMA flood map volumes on its Building Department page if you want to check your property’s flood zone.

Seamless Gutters Sized for Totowa Roofs

Most Totowa homes are detached houses with a main roof plus one or more additions, dormers or porch roofs. Every place two roof planes meet creates a valley that pours water into one spot on the gutter. If the gutter is too small there, water overshoots it in a downpour.

• Seamless aluminum K-style gutters are formed on site in one piece per run, so there are no seams to leak.
• Larger gutters or an extra downspout where valleys concentrate water.
• Correct pitch so water runs to the downspouts instead of sitting in the trough and freezing in winter.
• Solid fascia behind the hangers. If the board is rotted, we replace it first.

Upper roofs that drain onto lower roofs

On Totowa houses with a second-story addition or a dormer over a porch, the upper gutter’s downspout often empties straight onto the lower roof. Over the years that concentrated stream wears the granules off the shingles below and can push water under them. We route those downspouts down to the lower gutter with a proper extension, or carry them to the ground, so one roof is not quietly wearing out the other.

We measure the roof areas draining to each run and size the system to match. See our gutter installation page for the full process.

Guards, Copper and Half-Round, Cleaning and Repair

Many Totowa streets are lined with mature trees, and older neighborhoods drop leaves, seed pods and twigs into gutters from spring through late fall. Gutter guards reduce clogging and the number of times someone has to climb a ladder. No guard is maintenance-free, so we explain how each type handles leaves and pine needles before you choose.

For older homes where appearance matters, copper and half-round gutters offer a traditional look and a long service life. For gutters that are still sound, we offer gutter cleaning and gutter repair: resealing corners, re-pitching sagging runs, replacing loose hangers and fixing crushed downspouts.

When to clean

Plan on at least spring and late fall, after the leaves are down. Houses under heavy tree cover may need more, and a quick check after any big storm can catch a blocked downspout before it overflows.

Downspouts, Neighbors and Permits

Where your downspouts discharge matters as much as the gutters themselves. Water should be carried well away from the foundation with extensions or splash blocks and kept on your own property, not aimed at a neighbor’s yard or across a sidewalk where it can freeze. On sloped lots, we look at where the water will run once it leaves the downspout. If you want to connect a leader to an underground line or drywell, check with the borough before any digging.

Gutter Questions from Totowa Homeowners

More Gutter and Roofing Help in Totowa

See our Totowa roofing contractor page for all of our work in the borough, our Passaic County page for the wider area, and our main gutter services in New Jersey page.

Gutters protect the rest of the exterior, so also read about roof repair in Totowa, roof replacement in Totowa and siding in Totowa.

We install gutters in nearby towns too, including gutters in Paterson, gutters in Woodland Park and gutters in Little Falls.