Granted, gutters aren't exactly glamorous. But they handle a critical task: routing the runoff from a very large surface - your roof - to proper drainage away from the house. By doing this, they keep your house high and dry, protecting windows, doors and foundation from water damage.
Though most gutters are installed on existing roofs, adding them during reroofing simplifies installation and allows them to be fully integrated into the roof system. If you're doing home improvements and thinking about installing a new roof, your timing couldn't be better.
Of course, gutters aren't necessary for every house or every roof slope. Broad overhangs may cast runoff well away from the house, where proper grading and drainage can carry it away. If this is the case with your house, save your money for a different type of rainy day.
If you look under "Gutters" in the Yellow Pages, you'll see ads touting "seamless," "soldered," "continuous," "sheet metal" and other varieties. Which ones are right for your house? The following should help you sort through the possibilities.
Gutters and downspouts are made from vinyl, aluminium, galvanized steel, stainless steel and copper. Wood gutters are virtually obsolete, except for their use in restoration work. You can buy vinyl gutters at home-improvement centres as do-it-yourself systems; professional gutter installers also install them. You can buy either "sectional" or "seamless" gutters.
Sectional types are sold or installed as component systems - preformed channels with matching corners, end caps, connectors, drop outlets, downspouts and other fittings. They're made of prepainted steel, galvanized steel, painted aluminium or vinyl. All do-it-yourself gutter systems fall into this category; many professionals install them as well. Seamless gutters, as their name implies, don't have potentially leaky seams along their lengths - their biggest selling point. The lengths join to inside and outside corner components and downspout outlets. Seamless gutters are usually formed from aluminium that has a baked-on finish, but they may be made from factory-painted steel.
Aluminium and steel are the two most common professionally installed gutter materials. The one that is best depends on your situation. Major plusses for aluminium gutters are that they're relatively inexpensive and will never rust. Steel gutters are sturdier; this isn't necessarily an issue unless you'll be leaning ladders against the house for access to the roof or live where high winds, trees, or other factors may cause wear and tear.
Gutter maintenance
• Be sure your downspouts expel water well away from your house. If necessary, add downspout extenders that run horizontally and carry the water away from the house. Also consider concrete splashblocks, slightly sloped and extending away from the house.
• Also check downspouts for rust, flaking or peeling paint, leaks, and that they are affixed tightly against the fascia boards. Check the fascia boards themselves for dry rot or other damage and if need be replace with lumber treated with wood preservative and finished to match the other boards.
• If your gutters are leaking, the prime suspects are the joints between sections. To seal a leak, apply silicone-rubber caulking compound along the seams on the inside and outside of the gutter.
• Patch small holes with roofing cement. Use a putty knife to spread the cement generously around the hole. Do this on a warm day or otherwise warm the cement to room temperature so it spreads easily.
• Repair larger holes in your gutters by covering them with patches. Take a sheet-metal patch, embed it in roofing cement, then apply another coat of cement over the patch.
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