Gutters and downspouts are a part of the home that remains unnoticed until they quit doing their job. Gutters and downspouts direct rain away from your home to protect siding, windows, doors and the foundation from water damage. Gutters and downspouts also help to prevent basement flooding.

Maintaining gutters and downspouts

Maintaining your gutters and downspouts is important. If they become clogged from debris and leaves, they will not drain. Therefore, rainwater will fill the gutters, back up, overflow and then eventually pull gutters loose. Water in troughs will rot wood gutters and rust sheet metal gutters.

Schedule a time to clean your gutters and downspouts at least twice a year. Be sure you are able to use a ladder safely. If you must use an extension ladder against a gutter, protect the gutter from bending by placing a short piece of 2x4 inside it.

There are a couple of methods for cleaning gutters. For low-sloped roofs, blow debris that is dry with a leaf blower. Be sure to use a dust mask, goggles and heavy work gloves. If you choose to use a leaf-catching gutter system, you will still have some work to do. Debris will eventually settle through them, and the screens must be removed before cleaning gutters.

Another method for cleaning gutters is to scoop out loose debris by starting at a drain outlet at the low end of the gutter. Scoop out loose debris with a garden trowel, when it is slightly damp and not dried or drenched. Blast out the gutters, with a hose that has an on/off high pressure nozzle, towards the drain outlet. If water does not drain freely, use a snake to free and pull out debris from the bottom.

Fixing gutters and downspouts

Sometimes it is necessary to replace your gutters and downspouts. However, there are time when fixing gutters is possible.

Leaking gutters: Fixing gutters that are leaking is not too difficult. Generally, when your gutters are leaking, the source is the joints between sections. Standing water will eventually rust galvanized steel or will seep through seams of aluminum gutters. Here are some tips for fixing gutters that have leaks:

• Check for signs of standing water and sagging.
• Adjust or add gutter hangers, if needed.
• Let the insides of the gutter dry out.
• Brush the seams that are leaking clean.
• Apply silicone-rubber caulking compound along the seams of the inside and outside of the gutter. This will seal the leak.
• For small holes, patch with a liberal amount of roofing cement. Use a putty knife to spread the cement around the hole. This should be done on a warm day. If the weather is cold, warm the roofing cement to room temperature.
• For larger holes, cover them with a sheet-metal patch. Embed the sheet-metal patch into roofing cement and apply another coat of cement over the patch.
• For leaky joints, seal with silicone caulk.

Overflowing gutters: If your gutters overflow, this could mean your gutters or downspouts are clogged or they are too small to handle the amount of runoff. If they are not clogged, you need to install new, larger downspouts. If this does not work, install larger gutters.

Gutters and downspouts are an important part of maintaining a structurally sound home. Be sure to maintain your gutters and downspouts by cleaning gutters and fixing gutters consistently.

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Comments (1)

• |2009-05-31 18:15:47 fred  - gutters keep falling off
  My gutters were installed with nails and they will not stay up. I have renailed them several times. Now I know the wood is old and soft, is there a way to nail a small piece of wood next to the joists and nail into it?
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