Keep them clear of debris. They are used for crawlspace venting, and are important. If you need to cover for winter, buy the plastic domed type covers and set them in place. Be sure to remove them again as soon as the weather warms up. Something like this. https://www.homedepot.com/b/Hardware-Window-Hardware-Repair-Window-Wells-Accessories/Cover/N-5yc1vZ1z18ib2Z1z18a9e?storeSelection=

Did you have a concern with the gutter and the black receptacle? You said they’re not connected to each other - they don’t have to be connected. Rain flowing down the gutter will continue to fall straight down into the black receptacle as it should.

littlebug, there are a couple more gutters that go down into the pipe but water runs off the roof onto the sidewalk. I will take a video next time it rains.

Water running off the roof onto the ground, rather than into a gutter, is a concern. Is there a piece of gutter missing? Perhaps you should schedule a visit by a guttering company.

Make sure the drain the downspout is going into isn't plugged by debris.

Water running off the roof, and not into the downspout, means you need gutters and downspouts all cleaned out. There is a clog somewhere.

Sounds familiar! lol

I had help cleaning the gutters; I will have to wait until it rains to see if that fixes the problem. Otherwise, I have not idea how to slip the gutter out from the black thingy.

The black thingy has a black cap with a rectangular hole to accommodate the downspout.

You should be able to slide the cap upward on the downspout to possibly allow cleaning any leaves in the black thingy.

Also, if you remove one of the screws thru the metal strap shown in your photo above the thingy, you may actually be able to get the downspout out of the thingy.

The first pic is of crawl space vents. An easy way to cover them for winter is to go to HD or Lowe's. They always have some broken styrofoam insulation pieces that you can buy cheaply, cut to size, then just angle a board from the ground to the styrofoam to hold it in place.

Stax, OMG thank you so much. Can't wait until tomorrow to check it out.

kathyg_in_mi...It's off to HD tomorrow. Between my sister and me we will get it done. Thanks so much!

While at HD, take a look at the "thingys." You'll see how they work and improve your chances.