Gutter systems are an essential part of a house, and your home needs one. They may look insignificant, but they are crucial as a roof over your head. Leaks and basement issues can be resolved by having gutters installed by professionals, or you can do it yourself and have them at no extra cost.
Do-it-yourself gutters are mainly aluminum or steel systems, but professionally installed gutters are seamless aluminum. They are all available at the retail stores near you.
Installing gutters requires a few things to be done before you go ahead an purchase your material. Professional gutter system installers do the following to make sure that your gutters are going to last 20-30 years, with repairs done on time and inspections done regularly.
Be prepared! Like we all know, wear protective gear when doing ant work that will involve machinery or flying objects. Leather gloves, goggles, long sleeved shirt and jeans. Be practical for crying out loud, don’t dress inappropriately and when you get hurt, who are you going to blame? No one, that’s for sure.
1.Inspect your house.
Evaluate your house and the areas in which you want to install gutters. Professionals look for areas that require repairs. For instance, rotten wood needs to be repaired, removing trim board nailed to the fascia close to the shingles or an extra strip of wood is added to it. All in all, paint bare wood before you go ahead and put your gutters.
Afterward, they sketch your house after measuring it to know where the gutters will be located as well as the downspouts. For this downspouts need to be in areas that are unobstructed and in hidden areas.
2.Assembling the rain gutters.
Once you have bought the gutters required per the measurements above, you will cut the back and front sides using tin snips. At the front lip of the gutter, cut a 2-inch long notch and lay gutter sealant along one and a half inch back from the edge. The front lip of the corner is hooked over the notched area of the gutter and snapped over the gutter.
Rivets are used to join the gutters together and make them stick. The inside of the gutter where the rivets can be seen, a small amount of gutter sealant is put over each one and on the seam of the gutter.
3.Downspouts and outlets.
A lot of measuring is done to put these bad boys on. At the corner of your house, measure from there to the location where you would like to have your downspout. Make sure there are no obstacles where you will place your downspout.
Transfer the same measurements to the gutters and cut a downspout outlet. You will take some time here, don’t fret and keep happy thoughts while working on it. Plus, your work will be much neater than doing a shoddy job.
Use special offset snips for this part when you make a cutout, like in kindergarten but for the advanced, with the snips for beginners. Pros know what they are doing.
4.Section those gutters!
If you want your gutters to empty asap, the number of downspouts will determine that. Slope them to make sure no standing water can result in erosion and leaking is not possible. In case you have fascia boards, these make your work easier on where you can make your gutters slope.
Against the bottom edge, hold a level to confirm this. If not level, using a string, adjust the line until it has leveled and shows a small slope. Use your eyes, or have a second pair if you’re not too sure.
A chalk line, back to school days, will indicate to you where the gutter’s top is. Align the top edge of the gutter to the chalk line to straighten them out.
5.Hangers and flashing.
You have spent enough money on getting those fascia repaired, and there’s nothing worse than seeing it damaged. The flashing will protect it and soffit from damage. You can install metal gutter apron at the back edge of your gutters, under the shingles to prevent water running behind your gutters. We want no sloppy work, and you don’t want that as well.
In case the flashing you are using is short, strap on a strip of a metal sheet over the gutter and beneath bent flashing.
Hangers support gutters like yours support your clothes but better, and they make the front edge stronger. They are to be placed over the fascia; it works wonders on your gutter system.
6.Finally, install downspouts.
To complete this hard task you are doing, and elbow is attached to a downspout outlet. They need to be crimped on the ends while facing down to prevent leaking from the joints. Once all that is done, hang the downspouts while attaching them to the wall. Make sections of downspouts if you can’t find U-shaped brackets.
And you are done! Congratulations on your work. Though not scientific or done by an engineer, this is an insight of what goes on when professional are installing gutters around your house. Take care of your gutters, and they will last a long while my people.