Rain gutters may occasionally break, get loose, or even collapse, especially during winter time. Needless to say, you may no longer get a bang for your buck thereafter. Below are a few of the main reasons that can explain why rain gutters collapse.

1- Missing or loose spikes or hangers

Spikes or hangers that hold the eavestrough in place may get loose over time or with changing seasons. This can cause the rain gutter to become weaker and not fastened solidly enough to the roof system. The weight of water, snow, dead leaves, and debris can easily make the gutter collapse, or one of its sections at the very least.

2- Freeze-thaw activity has caused the rain gutter to collapse

In the winter time, rain gutters that are not equipped with a leaf guard get filled with ice. Intense freeze-thaw activity ends up damaging the inside of eavestroughs, which in turn causes them to twist and detach from the fascia board as nails or screws lose their original properties. This constitutes one of the main causes for damaged gutters.

3- The eavestrough gave way under the weight of clogged debris

When rain gutters get clogged with debris, only cleaning them thoroughly will allow them to be functional again. Otherwise, dead leaves, dirt, and water will end up filling the eavestroughs entirely, which will result in additional weight until the rain gutters collapse at some point in time.

4- The slope is not steep enough, water has accumulated and exerts considerable pressure on the eavestrough

From time to time, it may happen that the slope is not steep enough to allow water to circulate smoothly in the eavestrough, which can cause accumulation inside the rain gutter. The pressure exerted by water may result in the rain gutter system collapsing or coming loose.

5- Rotten fascia board

When rain gutters get clogged, water tends to accumulate and eventually seep into the roof, thereby causing the fascia board to rot. Spikes or screws end up having too much space and the eavestrough starts to collapse. A leaf guard will allow avoiding this situation as it prevents water from accumulating and causing infiltration in the roof system.

In conclusion, several factors can damage rain gutters or cause them to collapse. Depending on the origin and extent of the problem, eavestroughs can always be repaired or changed.