Skip to content
Jersey City Gutter Pros
(201) 293-3992
Multifamily buildings along a street on the Palisades ridge in Union City

Gutters Along the Palisades: North Bergen, Union City and West New York

Three towns on the ridge above the Hudson, with sloped streets, tall multifamily buildings and wind off the river. Here is how that changes the gutter work.

Call (201) 293-3992
  • Free, no-obligation estimates
  • Call Mon–Fri 7AM–9PM
  • Fully trained and insured local professionals

On top of the ridge

Three towns along the Palisades

North Bergen, Union City and West New York share the ridge above the Hudson, with dense blocks of attached houses and multifamily buildings in the middle and sloping streets at the edges. The gutter questions here are less about old cornices and more about height, slope and wind. The four questions below are the ones that come up most.

1Where does roof water go on a ridge-top block?

North Bergen, Union City and West New York sit along the top of the Palisades ridge, and their streets slope off it. Water leaving a leader does not sit still; it runs downhill along the curb and across driveways. On a sloped lot, the leader that ends on the uphill side of the house can send water along the foundation before it reaches the street. Extensions that turn the water downhill and away from the walls, or a leader moved to the downhill corner, solve most of it.

2Why do buildings along the Bergenline corridor have such long leaders?

Much of the housing along and around Bergenline Avenue is three- and four-story multifamily buildings and attached houses, built close to the sidewalk. A leader from a roof three or four stories up runs the full height of the front, with several elbows around cornices and windows. Every joint is a place to clog or leak, and the bottom few feet take the abuse of trash bins and bikes. Larger leaders and fewer offsets make them more reliable.

Request a free estimate

Prefer to talk? Call (201) 293-3992, Mon–Fri 7AM–9PM.

What do you need? *

3What changes for houses near the cliff edge?

Houses close to the edge of the ridge are more exposed to wind off the Hudson, so rain hits the gutters at an angle and blows over the front edge more often. Heavier hangers, closer spacing and gutters set so the roof sheds into them, not past them, help. Where the drop is steep behind the house, water has to be carried away carefully rather than released at the back of the lot.

4Who is responsible for the gutters in a two-to-four-unit building?

In a rental building, the owner. In a building converted to condominiums, the gutters and leaders are usually common elements maintained by the association, though bylaws vary. Tenants and unit owners who notice overflow or a broken leader should report it early, since the damage usually shows up inside someone else's unit first.

Through the year

A seasonal checklist for ridge-top houses

Fall

  • Clean gutters after the main leaf drop
  • Flush every leader from the top
  • Check downhill extensions are in place

After a big storm

  • Look for water marks on the uphill wall
  • Check hangers on the windward side
  • Clear anything washed into curb-side outlets

Late winter

  • Look for gutters pulled down by snow
  • Check for leaders split at the joints
  • Clear seed fluff and late debris

Spring

  • Second cleaning on tree-lined streets
  • Re-seal corners and end caps
  • Plan any replacement before summer storms
Three-story brick multifamily building on a sloped Union City street with a long leader running down the front
Long leaders and sloped sidewalks are typical along the ridge.

Most of the work in these towns falls under replacement, repair and leaders and downspouts.

On a slope, the leader decides which way the water runs.

Turning it downhill and away from the walls is the simplest fix on the ridge.

Related

Leaders & scuppersLong leaders, elbows and where they end.Gutter replacementSizing and comparing quotes.HobokenThe flood-prone city below the ridge.

On the ridge?

A local professional can look at the building and give a free, no-obligation estimate. Mon–Fri, 7AM–9PM.

Call (201) 293-3992
Call (201) 293-3992 for a free estimate