Maintaining and Making Repairs to Damaged Gutters

Gutters are a major part of your home's weatherproof system. However, many people fail to realize the importance of gutters and pay little to no attention to them. Don't make the same mistake. A free-flowing gutter system keeps rain from running off your roof and too close to your house. Water must flow away from your house to protect your main foundation and to keep stains off of your siding. A free-flowing gutter also keeps your walkways ice free in the winter.

Aluminum, galvanized steel, vinyl, and wood are the four basic types of gutters that are usually available. However, wood gutters may be the most difficult to find. Galvanized steel gutters are the cheapest of the four types of gutters and require more maintenance. Aluminum and vinyl gutters cost more, but are much more durable and have a high resistance to corrosion.

For gutter repairs, you will need a gutter caulk (silicone caulk will work as well), plastic roofing cement, gutter liner, and sheet metal screws. Basic tools such as a hammer, putty knife, wire brush, caulk gun, screwdriver, paintbrush, hacksaw, and scissors (heavy-duty).

Downspout Damages

Sometimes the downspout joints (the downspout is the long piece that extends from the gutter on the roof to the ground) may leak from damage cause by strong winds or even tree branches. You will need to remove the screws that hold the joint together then detach all the pieces that hold the joint together and use the wire bush to remove any old caulk from all pieces. Inspect the pieces that you detached to see if they can still be used. The downspout could have too much damaged and may need to be replaced. Once you have a usable joint piece (replaced or not), apply new caulk to the pieces and re-attach to the main gutter.

Leaks in the Joints

Old sealant is usually the reason for leaking joints to your downspout. Simply scrape of all of the old sealant caulk and apply silicone caulk to keep the joint waterproof. Leaking areas that come from your straight gutter (the piece that hangs from the roof) may come from rust. You will need to use your wire brush and water to scrape away all of the rust. Getting way all of the rust prevents any rust from spreading. Use your putty knife and roofing cement on the area you just clean. Make sure that you make the area as flat as possible to keep the water flowing properly thru your gutters. Spreading roofing cement on old rusted areas is only a temporary solution. If you want a permanent solution, you should replace the damaged piece or the entire gutter.

Replacing Damaged gutter sections

Sometimes it is necessary to replace a section of the gutter that was damaged from debris, rust, or ice. Before replacing any gutter section, you must first make sure the gutter is truly damage and not the gutter section. Use a solid block of wood and put it inside the good part of the gutter as you cut out the bad piece with a hacksaw. The block of wood will keep the remaining part of the gutter stable as you cut. When replacing the damaged section, the new section should be about 2 inches longer that the old piece for overlapping. With your caulk gun, apply roofing cement on the inside of the original part of the gutter and place the new section in place, overlapping by an inch on both sides. Drill holes in the places where the new section of the gutter overlaps and the original part meets. Apply rivets to keep the gutter in place. Any hardware that was removed when replacing the damaged gutter section should be put back properly to ensure the gutter is secure.

Check your gutters at least twice a year. Sometimes it is necessary to clean out debris that fall in your gutter to keep the water flowing and avoiding any new damages.