Electrical & Electric

Installing PVC Gutters

PVC Rain Gutters

 Introduction:

PVC gutters are rain gutters that are made from unplasticized polyvinyl chloride. The sections and fittings are light, easy to install, and do not require painting. The fittings are easy to work with when installing a complete PVC gutter system as a DIY project.  PVC gutters are either square or half-round. Square gutters have a much greater capacity for carrying water than the half-round gutters.

PVC gutters are much better than wood or aluminum gutters. Wood gutters are very heavy and require periodic painting and they will rot in time. Aluminum is light to work with but do not hold up to the weather as well as PVC gutters. PVC gutters cost approximately $2.75 a foot to install whereby aluminum and wood gutters are much more expensive.

Homes in most areas require rain gutters and downspouts to collect and carry rainwater away from the house and foundation. Without them water can erode the soil around the foundation, splash dirt onto the siding, and can be the source of water leaking into the basement or crawlspace. Most PVC home gutters are 4 inches in width and 2½ inch downpipes. For proper drainage there should be a slight slope on the guttering leading to the downpipes.  

When planning to install gutters the size should be calculated for the amount of water that is likely to come off the roof during a heavy rain. If you choose a smaller channel gutter you could experience overflowing water damage at times of heavy rain.   

Although gutters are most often installed by professionals there’s no reason you can’t install them yourself as a do it yourself. All the materials and accessories are readily available at most home supply centers. The PVC material is easy to cut and make slight bending when necessary around tight areas of your eave.   

When installing gutters, ensure that they drain properly. Make certain they slope 1/2 inch toward a downspout for each 1 foot of run. For gutter runs longer than 40 feet it’s best to pitch the gutter down from the middle to a downspout at each end. Or you can slope the gutters down from each end toward a single downspout placed in the middle of the run.

Installing PVC gutters make a great gutter drain system and will last for decades. And the best part is they don’t require painting.

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