Your gutters serve an important purpose. They catch rainwater and guide away from your roof and walls through a downpipe and into your drainage system. Gutters protect your home from water damage. But when they are not correctly maintained, they can get damaged and potentially leave your home open to problems such as mold and damp. When your gutter gets filled with leaves, it can cause a blockage. This can lead to cracks forming.
You need to ensure your gutter is well maintained, and if it becomes damaged, you will need a gutter replacement.
Here's the ultimate guide to replacing and maintaining your gutters.
Carrying out Gutter Replacement
Gutter installation can be carried out over a day or two with a moderate amount of skill. The essential element of gutter & downspout installation is the planning.
Assess the Roof and Soffit
Before you start replacing your gutters, check for damage to your soffits and fascias. Problems with your existing gutters could have led to damp and rot in these areas. If they are damaged, you will need to replace these at the same time.
Make Measurements and Work out What You'll Need
Start off by measuring your house to work out the lengths that you'll need for each section of gutter and every downpipe. When buying your downspouts, buy longer pieces than you need.
Then you'll need to make a complete list of every gutter part that you'll need.
Work out how many elbows you'll need for your downpipes, as well as how many mounts you'll need as well as end caps and outside corners.
Preassemble Your Gutters Before Mounting
Putting your gutters together on the ground is much easier than it will be at the top of a ladder.
Cut all of your pieces to size, then caulk and rivet your gutters together.
Before you mount your gutter, you'll need to cut holes ready to install downspouts.
Fitting Your Gutters
When mounting your gutters, don't forget that you'll need a very slight incline so that the water runs down towards the downspout. The slope should be about a quarter of an inch per 10 feet of gutter.
Maintaining Your Rain Gutter Installation
Many things can cause blockages in your gutter and downspout installation.
Leaves are the most common culprits that lead to your drains overflowing; however, birds nests can be problematic too.
To keep your gutter in the best condition, you should inspect it every few months.
Roughly twice a year you should also get up on a ladder and remove any leaves or debris from your gutters.
This should be carried out during spring, to remove anything that's blown into them during winter. This should be repeated in the autumn to remove all of the dead leaves.
Taking Good Care of Your Gutters
Gutter replacement can be a significant task, and it is not one that you'll want to carry out often. Look after your gutters, and you'll avoid water damage to your home, and save yourself the hassle of having to carry out repairs.
For more great articles about gutters, soffits, check out the rest of our blog.
