How to Fix Gutters
Gutters are troughs fixed beneath the rooftop of the house from outside purposely for rainwater collection. This water can supplement your normal tapped water for purposes such as gardening and cleaning. Gutters also help to direct water flowing from the roof to the drain pipe and away from the house foundation. This protects your foundation and exterior walls from water damage. They need to be maintained for hygiene purposes which will keep the users safe and satisfied. Since some can be made from iron, they rust easily so clean them regularly. If you don’t clean, dirt and dust will build up, and water will overflow to your house roof or wall and weaken the foundation of your house. Rainwater enhances conservation efforts and will supplement tap water. So it’s essential to have gutters around your home. However, gutters are prone to damages, and they need attention to repair them. Different problems require different solutions though all are quite simple to apply.
1. Sagging gutters
When you notice that your gutters sagging and not holding water as required, you have to tighten them. Start by checking on any loosened brackets. When a bracket is loose, it will detach itself and the sagging gutter will let water out. Gutters sometimes detach from brackets due to high pressure especially when the volume of water is higher than their capacity. In most cases when this occurs the gutters are of poor quality. While fixing this type of problem consider buying quality gutters and brackets.
Fixing sagging gutters
Sagging gutters cause a lot of water wastage and defeat the purpose of having the gutters in the first place. They are however easily fixed. Start by acquiring new and good quality brackets. Next detach the previous sagging brackets by unscrewing them. Be careful not to interfere with the fisher board. Finally fix the new brackets and tighten them with screws. Once the you fix them, check for the tightness of the brackets and the firmness of the gutter. It should not sag. While doing this repair you may want to check on the drain pipes as well and replace them if necessary.
2. Leaky gutters
When not regularly cleaned, gutters experience rust damage. With time these weakened areas develop holes. Thus when it rains, the water seeps down rather than flowing towards the drain pipes. This water when coupled with negative grading, may result in water damage on your foundation and walls. For small holes on rust patches, use plastic roofing cement to fill the gaps. This should fix the problem quite nicely. However, if the holes are larger, a different solution must apply. Replace them by using galvanized metal flushing to fill the gaps.
3. Bent gutters
Gutters are made of aluminum or vinyl material, and over time they can suffer from bends or tears. It is easy to repair a bent gutter at home with the help of proper tools and instructions. Start by checking the bent part and clean up any dirt and debris on the gutter. Then identify the center of the bend and drill a hole on the top. After this set the sleeve of the gutter and then spike it inward to align it up along the drilled hole. Inspect it from a far angle to ensure that the bend is fixed correctly.
Why fix your gutters?
- Fixing your gutters is essential and not as expensive as ignoring them. When you don’t repair your gutters, they may result in serious problems. For example, when you notice a leaking gutter, and you opt to ignore, water will find a way to enter in the wall foundation of your house and damage it from inside. This will necessitate expensive repairs that could have been avoided.
- When water splatters down onto the ground next to your house, you’ll require cleaning your outside walls more frequently. Dirt from the ground will splash onto the sides causing the walls to become unsightly.
- Properly working gutters help you to trap rain-water. You may use this for your gardening and cleaning purposes.
If you are unable to get the gutters fixed on your own, it’s good to contract a qualified professional to help you out. Also, consider buying quality gutters and brackets from reputable dealers, use correct tools to fix and they will last for long. The best gutters are both safe to your health and house.
