The Trouble with Gutters
Exterior, Featured, Roofing by Jerri Farris
Maintaining gutters and downspouts is one of the most often overlooked jobs around the house. It is also one of the most important, since clogged or leaking gutters can quickly lead to rotten fascia boards, peeling paint, or worse.
Importance of Gutters
While it might be tempting to do away with your gutters all together, they serve an important function in areas that receive more than 15” to 20” of rain a year. Gutters direct water away from the house to protect your siding, foundation, and landscaping. Without them, siding can rot, basements flood, and flower beds erode.
Gutter Guards
Though gutter guards allow you to go longer between cleanings, they’re far from foolproof and need to be checked periodically. Pine straw and leaves often become lodged in them, and smaller debris can still filter through to cause big problems. Shielding gutters doesn’t prevent leaks or keep hangers from working loose either.
Cleaning Gutters
To clean gutters, you’ll need a ladder, a garden trowel, bucket lined with a trash bag, a hose, a rag, and a helper. If you encounter serious clogs, you may also need a plumber’s snake.
After you have removed any gutter guards, use the trowel to scoop leaves and debris from the gutter into the bucket.
Add the collected material to a compost pile if you have one, or dispose of it with other lawn debris.
Once the gutters have been cleaned, check the downspouts for clogs by inserting a hose with a rag wrapped around it so that water will be directed through them.
Have your helper turn the water on full force, and check to make sure it is flowing freely from the end of the downspout.
If a downspout has a clog that can’t be cleared with water pressure, use the plumber’s snake to break it up, then use the hose to flush out any remaining debris.
As a last resort, disassemble the downspout and remove the clog. Once the downspout is running freely, start at the far end of the run and rinse the gutter thoroughly with the hose.
Inspection and Repair
After they are clean, inspect and repair the gutters and downspouts as necessary. Make sure all hangers are securely fastened, and use a carpenter’s level to check that the gutters have the proper slope and are not holding water. They should slant down toward the downspouts about ¼” every 10’.
If a section sags, snap a chalk line on the fascia, and remove the hangers in the area.
Measuring from the chalk line, lift the gutter up and reposition the hangers to hold it in place. Water is heavy, and gutters should have a hanger every 2’ as well as within 1’ of any seams.
Now that your gutters are secure and have the correct slope, check them for leaks by running water through them with a hose. Mark any leaks and allow the gutter to dry out thoroughly before patching them with gutter sealant.
Caulking or roofing cement can also be used, and specially formulated self-sticking patches are available to cover damaged areas.
If sealing a joint in the gutter or downspout doesn’t stop the leak, disassemble the joint if possible, clean the two parts, and put them back together using sealant.
Now that your gutters are in tip top shape, check them from time to time while it is raining. If water is spilling over the edges or not running freely from the downspouts, make a note to clean them again as soon as possible.
12 Comments on “The Trouble with Gutters”
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September 16th, 2007 at 10:04
Hi, I recently had vinyl gutters installed and there is a space between the facia and the back of the gutter and now water is coming down the facia and not going into the gutter. Is there something that I can put under the roof line to “help” the water into the gutter or should I use some type of caulk to seal that area?
Any help you can provide would be greatly appriciated.
Also, I had a friend install them, so … in an effort to same some money, I’ve now got another problem.
thanks
Donna
Ben Erickson Says:September 25th, 2007 at 09:53
Donna,
Gutters are usually installed flush against the fascia with enough roof overhang so that the water drains into them. If the gutters can’t be moved back, perhaps the roof could be extended outward by sliding a sheet metal drip strip under the roofing. This is a problem that definitely needs to be corrected before it begins to rot the fascia boards.
November 15th, 2007 at 12:00
I have a hole in my gutter Is there a company that make a patch so that i can repair the hole without replacing the gutter thanks Ted
November 17th, 2008 at 14:16
We have 2 VERY large pine trees, one in the front and one in the back of the house. Unfortunately, our gutters are suffering from the pine neddles from these pine trees. We were thinking about having some type of gutter guard. Do you have any suggestions?
Thank you!
Ben Erickson Says:November 18th, 2008 at 10:27
Sang Le,
Traditional mesh type gutters guards work much better for leaves than pine needles, which tend to fall point down and get stuck in them. There are some other types of gutter guard you might look into, such as Gutterglove that might work better with pine needles, though I haven’t tested them.
November 20th, 2008 at 17:47
Sang Le, I agree that some gutter guards really don’t work well. I installed Gutter Helmet a while back and haven’t had any trouble with leaves or pine needles. Anyone else have experience with gutter covers?
November 21st, 2008 at 20:00
I puschased gaurds from Home Depot that have a screen over the mesh. They claim they repel pine needles. So far, they have been doing an excellent job. I ordered a few on line from H.D., they did not come with the screen, luckily I have no pine trees in the back, plus I only needed three of them.
Julie Day Says:November 24th, 2008 at 11:38
Thanks for the informative article, Jerri! I found that one of my garden tools works wonders with cleaning gutters. It’s an inexpensive garden cultivator, with a head like a small hoe (but narrow enough to fit in the gutter), and a handle that telescopes from about 2 feet to 4 feet. It allows me to safely reach a little farther, reducing the number of times I have to move the ladder!
January 12th, 2009 at 17:24
I actually installed a gutter guard system myself. It is a stainless steel mesh guard called Gutterglove Gutterguard. I was shocked with how easy it was to install. It lets nothing through it but water, so we never have to clean it. I love having it on my home because now I know there will be no damage to it from clogged overflowing guttters and my husband and i never have to take the time to clean it. I found it at http://www.gutterglove.com. Well worth the investment!
October 23rd, 2009 at 23:04
Are you kidding me? My house is sorrounded by big trees in Great Falls, Virginia and i cleaned my gutters for 3 years! and i wasted almost 700 bucks in magic devices and “never clean again” gutter covers. You know?, just hire someone honest to do the job twice at year. I found this gutters911 guys and they are really AMAZING. They work in Virginia and i pay just $120 for each season. Others cleaned my gutters for $260 each season. Can you believe that difference? Check the website: http://www.gutters911.com
October 29th, 2009 at 22:20
I use the same gutter cleaning company since they started. You are right, they are the best in the area. Very honest people. Are they cleaning gutters in Maryland now ?
November 2nd, 2009 at 20:25
I just climb up onto the roof with an electric leafblower…start at one end and blast those leaves out. Go up one side and down the other. Very easy and takes about 10 minutes. Moving a ladder around the house and cleaning by hand is definitely for the birds!