Standard downspouts were sized for standard rain. Lake-effect cloudbursts and spring thaw releases are not standard: a roof plane can shed water faster than a 2x3 downspout can carry it, and the overflow curtain lands against the foundation.
Oversizing downspouts (3x4) and adding one where a long run is overloaded is one of the cheapest water-management upgrades a Parma home can get - cheaper than any basement waterproofing it helps avoid. Pitch matters too: gutters hung dead-level hold the standing water that becomes ice load in January.
Guards deserve an honest word: they reduce leaf clogs in Parma's tree-heavy streets and do nothing for ice. Buy them for the leaves, or not at all.
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