 | Gutters and downspouts work hard to protect your house
from moisture damage. If gutters leak or downspouts are clogged, water can
spill out and accumulate near foundations, soaking the soil and causing
foundation walls to settle. In worst-case scenarios, moisture-laden soil
presses in on basement walls, causing bulging and cracking. Water can even
be forced inside by means of hydrostatic pressure. |
| Keeping gutters and downspouts cleaned out & in good condition requires regular
maintenance. It is advisable doing this chore twice each year -- in spring
and in the fall. Yes, it can be messy, and you might get dirty. But it's
definitely worth it. |
Steps To Clean Your Gutters:
| Clean leaves, sticks, needles and seeds from gutters, scooping out
debris with a garden trowel or gloved hand. |
| Don't try to remove the debris with a hose because that may cause
downspouts to clog. |
| Remove the pasty gooey substance made up from the tiny granules from
asphalt roofing shingles that have mixed with dirt and water. |
| Flush out residual matter, using a garden hose. |
| To clean downspouts, turn on the hose full blast and thread it into
the drain opening. |
| Check gutters after flushing for pools that indicate low spots.
Gutters should be sloped about one vertical inch for every 15 to 20
horizontal feet so that they drain properly. Adjust gutters as necessary.
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STOPPING CLOGS IN GUTTERS AND DOWNSPOUTS:
| Clogging usually occurs in a drainage system at the elbow where the
downspout connects to the gutter (see image). Since this elbow is
relatively easy to remove, it is a good idea to remove it and inspect for
clogging. |
| If the clogging is not in the elbow, check farther down the downspout.
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| You can usually check the downspout from the bottom. However, if the
downspout is inserted in an underground tiling system, you may need to use
a plumber's or electrician's snake to clean the downspout (see first image
below). This type of metal snake can be used to penetrate the downspout
for a great distance, removing any obstacles causing clogging and backup
problems. |
| If your roof drainage system is exposed to falling leaves and debris,
you should install leaf strainers in all downspout outlets (see second
image below). These strainers insert into the downspout outlet. They
permit the free passage of water but stop any leaves or other objects that
can cause problems in downspout drainage. |
| Leaf strainers are easy to install and are relatively inexpensive.
|
| You can solve most drainage problems by installing leaf guards over
your entire gutter system (see third image below). There are various types
of leaf guards available. |
| Leaf guards of metal, plastic, etc., are usually mounted in the same
way. Lift the lower run of shingles and insert the leaf guard underneath.
Some leaf guards clamp over the edge of the gutter. |
| The leaf guards hold the leaves and other falling debris on top of the
guard while allowing water to flow freely through the drainage system. The
leaves then dry on top of the guard and are quickly blown away.
|
Repairing Gutters:
| Install new hangers to hold gutters firmly in place. Typically,
gutters are attached with straps, hangers or long nails inserted through
metal collars -- a system called "spikes and ferrules." |
| Don't bother replacing straps, re-nailing old spikes or adding new
spikes. Because you must pry up roofing materials to replace straps, it's
easier to make repairs using individual gutter hangers with self-tapping
screws, available at home improvement centers. |
| Also replace spikes with gutter screws and matching ferrules. "Over
time a spike is always going to push out, A gutter screw really has
holding power. |
Fix Leaks:
| Fix leaks at seams with silicone sealer. Although patch kits are
available for repairing rust holes in steel gutters, the patches will
prove to be only temporary. If you've got rust holes in steel gutters,
they're pretty much finished. It's better to get new ones.
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Replacing Gutters:
| If you need to replace your gutter, steel gutters generally perform
better than aluminum or vinyl. "Aluminum gutters move too much during
weather changes," says Wood. "The expansion and contraction causes nails
and screws to loosen up. And vinyl comes in 10-foot lengths, meaning there
are lots of seams that need to be sealed. |
| Both steel and aluminum can be installed without intermittent seams,
and the best steel gutters feature baked-on enamel finishes with 40-year
warranties. Expect to pay about $450 for a professional to install new
gutters and downspouts on a typical two-story suburban house.
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ADJUSTING THE PITCH OF GUTTERS:
| The gutters on your home should be installed so there is a drop of
approximately 1/16" for each 1' of length of guttering. |
| You can use a chalk line and a level to take a reading and mark the
slope of your gutters. Another way is to pour a bucket of water into the
gutter and observe the flow. If it runs off without leaving pools of water
in the gutter, the gutter is set properly. If there are low spots, the
water will sit in the gutter and locate the trouble spots. |
| Ordinarily, the pitch of a gutter can be set in only one direction.
However, gutter runs of more than 35' should slant in each direction from
the center (see image above). Again, the drop should be set at a rate of
1/16" of fall for each 1' of gutter. |
| High or low spots detected in the gutter run can often be corrected by
bending the hanger than supports the gutter (see image). A slight bend up
or down can often remove the low or high spot. |
| Some gutters are installed with spikes and sleeves, sometimes called
spikes and ferrules (see image below). You may need to add an additional
spike or sleeve to raise or lower the fall of the gutter at any specific
point. |
| When extra spikes or sleeves are added, use a power drill to make a
hole through the gutter before inserting the spike and sleeve.
Gutters are usually held in place with either spikes and sleeves or
hangers. |
| There are two basic types of gutter hangers. One is the strap hanger
(see image below). This type of hanger supports the gutter with a
wraparound strap underneath the gutter. A long strap is then affixed to
the top and nailed to the sheathing under the edge of the roof. The
roofing material covers the strap, making it totally inconspicuous. |
| The bracket hanger is nailed or screwed to the fascia underneath the
eave of the roof (see image). Either of these types of hangers can be
added as needed to remove high and low spots in a run of gutter. Add
braces that matchthose already in use. |
MAINTAINING DOWNSPOUTS:
| Even the best gutter system cannot function properly unless all
downspouts are in working order. Take the time to examine your downspout
system at the same time you are mending and repairing your gutters. |
| If the downspouts drain into an underground tile system, make a
careful check at the point where the downspout enters the underground
tiling (see image). Make sure it is cemented firmly into place and there
is no backup or overflow. |
| You can use a plumber's or electrician's snake to clean any possible
obstructions in the downspout system.
Most downspouts empty onto a splash block (see image). Be sure these
splash blocks are large enough and high enough to carry the water away
from the foundation of the house. |
| Check the splash blocks occasionally to make sure they are not broken
or deteriorating. Downspouts that pour water around the foundation of the
house can cause basement or crawl space water problems. Secure splash
blocks remove much of this danger. |
| You may need to add extra downspouts to carry water completely away
from the house. |
| You can attach an extra length of downspout at the elbow to continue
it as far away from the house as necessary. |
| Special roll-up downspout sheets are available that extend themselves
when filled with water and roll up when the water is emptied. These
perform the same function as an extended downspout, but they avoid the
unsightliness of the downspout extended into the yard. |
| Add downspout simply by crimping the end of the material with a pair
of pliers (see second image below). The new piece of downspout will slip
easily into the original piece. |
Underground Downspout Systems:
| Under ground downspouts keep roof water away from your foundation!
Proper water management around the foundation of your home can be very
effective at keeping the water from reaching your basement. Back fill any
low areas, and slope the ground away from the foundation. The most serious
problem with seamless gutters is downspouts that discharge the water right
next to the foundation! An innovative product used with seamless gutters
on over 90 thousand homes is our new Under Ground Down-Spout Kit! Water
free falls into a debris filter and flows underground through 8 feet of
P.V.C. pipe. As water fills up in the bubbler pot the lid raises up to let
water evenly flow over onto your lawn. Drainage slots in the bubbler pot
lets standing water filter down into the ground. The solid drain cover
will then drop down and seal out grass clippings and dirt. Install
Under-Ground Down-Spouts as part of your landscape drainage!
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A Safety Tip:
| Remember that gutter maintenance often means working on a ladder. As
you work, make safety a priority. Make sure your ladder is firmly planted,
and don't stretch to make repairs. |
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