Who’ll Stop The Rain? Gutters and Downspouts
After Hurricane Katrina pounded New Orleans, homeowner Mary A. Huff, who works from her home running her communications business, had new gutters and guards installed on her 1970s split-level ranch house in suburban Atlanta. Her goal was to get water to flow better off the roof and to the ground rather than end up in her house. A year later, she was horrified to find the new gutters leaked. And worse, she learned from her roofing contractor – who hadn’t done the other work – that the gutters were too small for the runoff. The excess water further eroded her 20-year-old roof.
The solution was to replace the gutters, another $3,000. “That was just too expensive. The roof had to come first,” Huff says.
So, what’s the right gutter size? Huff’s contractor, Tom Findlay, whose firm is based in Marietta, Ga., says they should be 6 inches wide rather than the 5 inches Huff has. “In 98 percent of cases, you need a 6-inch gutter to handle the volume of water,” Findlay says, adding the price difference between them is roughly 20 percent.
As for downspouts, to do the proper job they should measure 3-by-4 inches, says Rob Schucker of R&S Landscaping in Midland Park, N.J. And together, they also eliminate drainage problems around the foundation, he says.
Material Choice
While corrosion-resistant copper may be the ultimate, its downside is that it can run more than aluminum systems. “It also looks spectacular with its patina, but unfortunately, you pay a lot for that,” Findlay says. He prefers to recommend a seamless aluminum system in 99 percent of residential cases and fabricates it at the site to be certain it fits properly and doesn’t get nicked during transport.
Placement and Maintenance
Gutters need to be installed properly, too – attached to a roof’s rafter tail rather than just to the fascia. “Otherwise, if there’s a lot of water, they pull away and cause fascia to rot,” Findlay says.
Gutter guards also are useful to stop unwanted leaves or ice from collecting. To ensure success, be sure to get your system cleared out at least twice a year.
