Maybe gutters don`t get the attention they deserve because the name has such a negative connotation. Or maybe the bad rap stems from our childhood memories. Haven`t we all lost at least one baseball to a gutter?
But gutters are an important component of a home`s exterior, reducing maintenance and preventing substantial damage.
A gutter system`s primary role is to collect the rain that falls on your roof and then channel it away through the downspouts-vertical pipes that run down the sides of the house.
That prevents rainwater from cascading over the doors and drenching the dwellers as they go in and out of the house, notes Richard G. Wall, chairman of the Professional Remodelers Association of Illinois, a referral and trade organization.
”Gutters also prevent rainwater from splashing down at the base of the house and onto the walls of the house, soaking the materials and causing bricks to erode, wood to rot, or aluminum siding to stain,” says Wall, who also is president of Chicago-based Superior Exteriors Inc., a contracting firm.
Gutters also prevent water from collecting at the edge of a home`s foundation, thereby eliminating seepage into the basement and preventing foundation cracks, says Wall.
But to ensure that they can work properly, gutters need regular attention, to clear out such falling debris as leaves, twigs, airborne paper and the occasional baseball or tennis ball. ”A little effort goes a long way and can extend the usefulness and sometimes the life of the gutter system,”
says Frank Holomshek, a manager with Elston Ace Hardware in Chicago.
In fact, Holomshek and Wall say gutters should be cleaned and inspected twice a year-in the spring and late fall. ”If you have trees near your home, an amazing amount of debris can collect in a gutter system in a short time,” says Holomshek.
”In the wintertime, the debris can cause the backup of ice and snow from the gutters,” says Wall. ”The ice builds up and `walks up` your roof, eventually causing water to seep into the house through the roof.”
Most gutters are made from aluminum and a few are made from copper, he adds. Some others are made of galvanized steel, he notes, so ”settled debris can create concentrated damp areas that cause the gutter to rust.”
Gutter maintenance
Before working on your gutters, make note during a rainstorm of where the system may be leaking. Leaks usually occur at the system`s seams, where the pieces meet. After cleaning the gutters, you`ll need to repair those leaks.
Cleaning is the first and most important step in a gutter system tuneup. Depending on how large your home is and when the gutters were last cleaned, it may take several hours to several days to get the gutters flushed out.
The only way to reach gutters is with a safe and secure ladder that`s tall enough to overlap the gutters by a few feet.
”Never walk on the roof, because it can be very dangerous,” Wall warns. ”All it takes is a shingle to catch your foot, and down you go. But even with a ladder, be very conscious of what you`re doing and watch every step you take. Make sure the ladder goes up past the gutter, that it`s snug up against the roof and that the footing is secure.”
To make the job easier, Holomshek recommends standoff brackets for ladders. ”They are basically extension arms for the sides of the ladder that prevent the ladder from resting directly on the gutter, allowing you better access to the gutter,” he says.
A utility belt can hold the necessary tools so you`re free to hold onto the ladder as needed and so the tools won`t topple to the ground.
Using heavy garden gloves and a garden trowel, remove the debris from the gutter by starting at the downspout and working your way to the opposite end of the house, Wall advises.
”Clean as much as you can, move down the ladder, and move the ladder over a few feet,” says Wall. ”Don`t overextend your reach.”
Finally, flush out the gutters with a garden hose to remove any small amounts of residue.
After cleaning out the gutters, check for blockage in the downspouts, says Wall. If water runs slowly from the gutter into the downspout, there is debris in the pipe, most likely at the elbow, he says.
To clear the debris, use your garden hose like a snake, unclogging debris with pressure from the hose and an occasional blast of water. Debris can also be removed by disconnecting the downspout at ground level and working a hose up the pipe. Or sometimes the elbows can be dismantled to remove debris.
To help keep gutters clear after cleaning, strainers are available for the downspout hole and screens can be installed over the length of the gutter. But strainers and screens are far from a gutter panacea. Leaves and other debris will still collect on top of the screens, preventing water from entering the gutters. And the strainers will clog. Hence, both need to be cleaned periodically.
A professional cleaning job usually costs at least $100, but the price escalates with the labor, especially if the gutters haven`t been cleaned in a while.
Repair
Once the gutters are cleaned out, you may need to make a few repairs to the system.
Loose gutters should be reattached firmly by pounding in the spikes that keep them fastened to the house. If the gutter has worked out of position, reinstall it on a slight incline so the water will drain toward the downspout hole.
Any leaks should be sealed with a gutter caulk, which is available at home improvement and hardware stores.
”Before you repair the leaks, make sure gutters are clean and dry,”
Holomshek advises. ”And apply the seal liberally with a caulk gun.”
”It`s a very liquid caulk that fills in all the cracks and crevices in the seams of the gutters,” says Wall. ”When it hardens, it stays pliable so that it allows for the contraction and expansion of gutters.”
For leaks that aren`t on the seams, special patch kits are available. But if there are large leaks, or a large number of leaks, the gutter system usually needs to be replaced, Wall says. That usually costs between $3 and $4 a foot for the typical single-family home, he says.
Downspout disconnect
While working on your gutters, consider disconnecting the downspouts at the point where they enter the ground and flow into the sewer system, the experts say.
Although this does not improve the efficiency of your gutter system, it can help minimize basement water seepage and the risk of flooding.
”On combined sewer systems-where both rainwater and sewage flow into the same sewers-the sewers can become overloaded with the rainwater and back up into the basement drains of a home,” warns Paul J. Griesbach, an engineer of local sewer systems for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago.
To disconnect the downspout from the sewer, you can cut the downspout with a hacksaw about a foot above where it enters the ground. Next, remove the piece of pipe that enters the ground and place an elbow pipe over the end of the vertical pipe coming from above. Place an extension over the elbow and point it toward an area where rainwater can safely drain, taking care that the outflow won`t flood your neighbors` lawns. Secure all the pieces with sheet metal screws.
Then plug up the ground level drain with crumpled newspapers and top that off with at least an inch of mortar cement, Griesbach advises.
The City of Chicago and many suburbs encourage downspout disconnection, Griesbach says. Call your local municipality for specific recommendations.
