Gutters and Downspouts

Gutters and Downspout Maintenance
Repairing Fascias, Gutters, and Downspouts
Unclogging Gutters and Downspouts
Three Gutter Repairs
Improving Downspout Drainage

Gutters and Downspout Maintenance

A roof sheds water, but it's the gutter and downspout system that carry the water away from the house. Regular inspection and maintenance are crucial for keeping your gutters and downspouts in good working order. Inspect them in the autumn and spring, and clean out accumulated leaves and other debris. Then check the slope of the gutters by running water through them. If drainage is slow, reposition the gutters for the correct slope. They should be tight against the fascias and should slope toward the downspouts at a rate of 1 inch for every 20 feet. You can correct low spots by adjusting the hangers.

Test for weaknesses in gutters, downspouts, and fascia boards by probing with a thin screwdriver or knife. Also, look for flaking or peeling paint, rust spots, broken hangers, and holes or leaky joints.

Repairing Fascias, Gutters, and Downspouts

• If you find dry-rotted fascia boards, repair them first. Carve out bad spots and fill them with wood putty or replace the damaged section with a piece of well-seasoned lumber. Apply a wood preservative first, then finish to match the existing boards.
• Tighten any loose hangers and replace any that are broken.
• Check that the downspout straps are secured to the walls and that all elbow connections fit tightly.
• Patch any leaky joints or holes in gutters, taking care to clean them thoroughly first.
• Seal pinholes with a dab of roofing cement.
• If a section of your gutter system is badly damaged, you'll need to replace it.
• Repaint the inside of wood gutters as necessary with asphalt roof paint. Sand down rusted and corroded areas of metal gutters and apply asphalt aluminum paint to the inside, rust preventative zinc-base primer outside. Then paint the outside of wood or metal gutters to match the house exterior.

Unclogging Gutters and Downspouts

• Remove leaves, twigs, and other debris from gutter troughs (protect your hands with gloves). Loosen dirt with a stiff brush; hose all debris out of the system.
• Clean a blocked downspout by spraying with a garden hose turned on full force. Or feed a snake into it and then flush all loosened debris out with a hose.
• Add mesh screens to deflect leaves, twigs, and other debris over the edge of the gutter. A leaf strainer will admit water and filter out debris.

Three Gutter Repairs

• Leaky joint - Seal by applying silicone sealant or caulking around the seams between sections on the inside and outside of the gutter.
• Small hole - Using a putty knife, patch with a thin coat of roofing cement, extending the cement beyond the hole in all directions.
• Hole larger than 1/2 inch - Cover with roofing cement and embed a sheet metal patch in the cement. Apply another coat of cement over the patch.

Improving Downspout Drainage

Water that's allowed to flow from your downspouts directly into the ground may end up in your crawl space or basement and can erode the soil alongside the house, causing settling of the structure. To divert water away from the house, you can use Splashblocks, flexible plastic sleeves attached to the downspouts, or clay drainage pipes that carry water to a dry well located several yards from the house.

Splashblocks Place a ready-made concrete or plastic splashblock below an elbow attached to the downspout. Tilt the splashblock slightly so the water flows away from the foundation.

Sleeves An alternative to splashblocks is a plastic or fabric sleeve that you attach directly to the downspout. Some sleeves are perforated to disperse the water over a large area. Another type unrolls as the water comes down and carries the water several feet from the house; a spring inside the sleeve rolls it back up once the water has drained. Look for sleeves in home improvement centers.

Dry Wells If you live in a wet climate, you may want to link your downspouts to a dry well (check your local building code before installing one).

• Locate the dry well 10 or more feet from the foundation. The well itself can be simply a hole 2 to 4 feet wide and 3 feet deep; or you can bury a 55-gallon oil drum after puncturing it with holes and removing both ends.
• Fill the well with rocks or broken concrete blocks.
• Cover the top with wood slats or heavy roofing paper. The well's top should be at least 18 inches below ground level; the bottom should be above the water table.
• Underground drainage pipes, sloped 1/2 inch per foot, carry water from the downspouts on the house to the dry well.