Installing Rain Gutters and Down Spouts
Installing rain gutters and downspouts gutters is not the most glamorous
DIY home improvement for your home but they may be necessary. When
properly installed they will take the water away from your
foundation and route to an area where it will not cause damage to
your home. Cascading
water off your roof can cause water problems in the basement,
especially if you do not have a foundation drain system to route the
water away.
Excessive water can also cause flooding where you don’t
want it, water infiltration around windows, and increase siding mold
and decay. Essentially gutters and downspouts protect your house
providing that they are maintained as an effective drainage system.
They must be able to handle rainwater removal from the immediate
vicinity of the house. If they become clogged you can't wait for the
next storm to clean them out.
There are several types of gutter systems
available for your home. They are made from wood, vinyl, and several
different metals including; aluminum, galvanized steel, stainless
steel and copper. For all practical purposes wood gutters are
obsolete, however they are used in restoration of old homes. Vinyl
gutters are the most common used in contemporary construction. They
are not necessarily installed during construction unless the home
buyer insists that they be installed.
The installation of gutters
and down spouts is an excellent DIY project that can be completed in
a weekend. Vinyl gutters and the hardware to install them can be
purchased at home improvement centers. They are inexpensive and
don’t take a professional gutter installer to install them. Metal
gutters are not so easy to install as a DIY project. Sheet metal
shops and gutter specialists make and install most metal gutters.
Gutters are not necessary for every house or
for every roof slope. Roofs
with extended overhangs that cast runoff water well away from the
house, where proper grading and drainage can carry it away don’t
require gutters. Vinyl and aluminum gutters and downspouts are
light weight and come in 10 to 20 foot pre-painted sections. They
are quite easy to work with.
End caps, inside and outside corners,
splice joints, and hangers are premade to fit the gutters. Down
spouts usually come in 10 foot sections along with mounting
brackets, angle attachments, and run of sections. Both vinyl and
aluminum drain systems snap together and are mounted on hangers
approximately 24 inches apart.
Installing a gutter and downspout system is quite
easy and can be completed in less than one weekend by a DIY
homeowner. It can solve a lot of water related problems around the
house.
See related articles:
Maintaining Gutters and Downspouts
Installing a
Foundation Drain System
Installing French Drains | Installing a Drain Trench
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