27 March 2026
Checking gutters and downpipes after a stormy spell
Send details of the cracks or damp you have noticed. A specialist firm will read them and advise whether the ground under your home needs attention. There is no charge for this first step.
Where the rain goes when a gutter blocks
After heavy wind and rain, leaves and twigs pack into the gutter channel. Water has nowhere to go but over the edge. It falls straight down the brickwork or runs behind the fascia board, soaking timber that should stay dry.
A blocked downpipe does the same thing higher up. The pipe fills, overflows at a joint, and sends water running down the wall face. You might not notice it from inside the house until a damp patch appears on an upstairs ceiling or around a window frame.
The damage is rarely just cosmetic. Constant wetting softens mortar joints and works its way through porous brick. On older homes in Kent, where walls are solid rather than cavity-built, moisture travels inward quickly. Check the gutters once the weather calms. Look for sagging sections, standing water, or plant growth along the channel. Any of these mean water is sitting where it should be flowing away.
Soaked ground beside the footings
Water spilling from a blocked gutter lands in one narrow strip beside the wall. Over days of storms, that strip becomes saturated. The soil swells if it contains clay, or washes fine particles away if it is sandy.
Clay soils across much of Kent expand when wet and shrink when dry. When only one side of the house gets soaked, the ground pushes unevenly against the foundations. That uneven pressure is enough to open hairline cracks in plaster or make a door catch on its frame.
Sandy or chalky ground behaves differently. Fast-flowing water escaping a broken downpipe can erode the material supporting the footing. The result is a small void, invisible from the surface, that lets part of the wall settle lower than the rest. Either way, the problem starts with water landing too close to the house for too long.
Signs that water is reaching the subsoil
You do not need to dig to find out if the ground is too wet. Look at the base of the outside walls after a storm. Dark staining, green algae, or a line of mud splashed above the skirting all point to water pooling at ground level.
Inside, check the corners of ground-floor rooms. A musty smell or lifting floorboards near an external wall suggests moisture is rising from below. Skirting boards that have started to separate from the plaster, or wallpaper bubbling at the bottom edge, follow the same path.
If you see cracks appearing near windows or doors on the side of the house where the downpipe leaks, note their position. Measure the width with a coin or ruler. Photograph them so changes can be compared later. A structural movement survey carried out by a specialist firm records these readings accurately and determines whether the cause is drainage or something deeper in the ground.
Fixing the drainage before it affects the walls
Clearing gutters is straightforward work. Remove the debris, flush the channel with a hose, and watch the water exit cleanly at the bottom of the downpipe. If the flow slows or backs up, the blockage is lower down and may need rods or a drain jet.
Check the shoe at the bottom of each downpipe. It should direct water into a gully or soakaway, not spill onto the path or flowerbed next to the wall. Broken shoes or missing sections let water run directly against the footing.
If the ground stays soggy for days after rain stops, a drainage CCTV survey can show whether the underground pipes are cracked or collapsed. Specialist firms use a camera to trace the route and spot leaks that keep the subsoil permanently wet. Fixing the pipe removes the water source so the ground can dry evenly again, reducing the chance of further movement.
Ask a specialist to look at the problem
Leave your details and describe what you have seen. A specialist firm reviews the information and advises whether a site visit is needed. Sending an enquiry costs nothing and carries no obligation.
- No fee to ask
- Firms work independently
- Advice specific to Kent