Chris d Craiker ALA/NCARB
I’m sure you’ve been receiving thousands of notices this Fall, creating fear and anxiety about what to expect, come November. No, not the election: your home’s rainwater evacuation system- gutters and downspouts. The avalanche of newspaper inserts, text messaging and Next Door ads are daunting. The big question is…… Do we need that much reworking our gutters, and will these gutter saviors make life better for us? I recently had my roof replaced and I learned a little.
Gutters are a part of the roof structure. Their job is to protect the foundation, not necessarily the house itself. With normal overhangs, even one foot wide, all the rain water washing off your roof will not necessarily damage the house exterior surface. But falling on the ground even three feet away can penetrate porous concrete footings, even with French drains around the building perimeter. Having a well-maintained rainwater evacuation system can be easy, but too often is ignored.
The gutter guards screens sold by door-to-door salesmen can cost between $4,000 and $12,000 but do not entirely eliminate the need to clean your gutters. While they do a good job of keeping leaves and other debris out, lots of dirt, bugs and smaller materials will still penetrate through the screens to clog your gutters and downspouts. All these screens are not maintenance-free. The whole water evacuation system will still need regular upkeep. What’s every bit as important is making sure you take care of the downspouts as well.
Unfortunately, most downspouts dump near your foundation and, if you have a cellar or basement, the water flows right through. It must be carried and empty at least five feet away. The easiest solution is to make sure your downspouts have an extension beyond the building and, of course, not onto your neighbor’s property. You also need to make sure that your gutters are not leaking water that goes back into the structure to cause dry rot.
Start by inspecting the whole system. Don’t you climb up on a ladder. Have a qualified person or good handyperson, that’s not trying to sell you gutter guards, do the job. Blowing them out is best and checking for rust spots is essential. Gutters are usually designed to slope to recurring downspouts and exit at grade. Depending upon the roof area, there should be at least one every 20–30 feet. Unfortunately, houses settle, and the gutter slopes can reverse. In my opinion, having more downspouts is as important having your gutters cleaned every month during late summer/early Autumn.
Downspouts are easy to install by a qualified metal manufacturer. Always make sure the downspouts have curved, not sharp angles as they make transitions to grade. The transition angles should be about 45 degrees. Flater angles and sharp bends will guarantee debris and water stoppage.
If you have trees that dump leaves or needles on one side of your home, gutter screens may be a good idea on those sides, but not everywhere as the salesmen will pitch you. The main issue is vigilance and to calendar in late Summer/early Fall to inspect and clean those gutters, with or without gutter screens. If near or under trees check the system three or four times a year and consider removing branches within five feet of the roof overhang. That’s fire prevention as well.
Chris d Craiker ALA/NCARB loves his flower chains for downspouts that dump five feet away from the house
Comments