Imagine a heavy downpour: rain pounds your roof and torrents spill over the eaves. You can't reach the front door without passing beneath a mini-Niagara. And the basement? Better fire up the sump pump. Get the idea? Before that next storm arrives, it may be a good idea to consider how your house will weather it. This brings us to the subject of gutters.

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 siding, 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 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 numerous ads touting "seamless," "soldered," "continuous," "copper," "sheet metal" and other varieties. Which ones are right for your house? The following should help you sort through the possibilities.

Gutter Basics
Gutters and downspouts are made from wood, vinyl, and several metals, including aluminum, 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 centers as do-it-yourself systems; professional gutter installers also install them. Sheet metal shops and gutter specialists make and install most metal gutters.

Before we focus on materials, let's look at a few fundamentals. First, you can buy either "sectional" or "seamless" gutters.


Sectional types are sold or installed as component systems--preformed channels, 10- to 22-feet long, with matching corners, end caps, connectors, drop outlets, downspouts and other fittings. They're made of prepainted steel, galvanized steel, painted aluminum or vinyl. All do-it-yourself gutter systems fall into this category; many professionals install them as well.

Seamless gutters, today's most popular type, are extruded from metal "coil" stock, using a special machine that's brought to your home by a gutter fabricator. As their name implies, they 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 aluminum that has a baked-on finish, but they may be made from copper or factory-painted steel.

Sizes and Profiles
Gutters are formed in several profiles and sizes. The standard profiles are a simple "U" shape and a "K" style, which has a ogee-shaped front, vaguely reminiscent of the letter "K." Channels are 4, 5 or 6 inches in diameter; 5-inch K-style gutters are a popular type. Matching downspouts are 2 by 3-inch or 3 by 4-inch rectangular profiles or 3 or 4-inch round (often corrugated) pipes. The larger systems are generally worth the difference in price because they're less likely to clog. If trees overhang your house, 3 by 4-inch downspouts are a good idea.

A Matter of Metal
Aluminum and steel are the two most common professionally installed gutter materials. The one that is best depends on your situation. Major plusses for aluminum 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.

Most homeowners opt for seamless aluminum. Lyle Brandt, with All New Gutter Service in Fargo, North Dakota, has been in the seamless gutter business for 15 years. He says, "In this area here, we're probably 90% seamless gutters. I like aluminum because downspouts get plugged and you get water sitting in the gutter, but you don't have to worry about rust. Steel will rust out after a time."

Brandt adds, "I've laid them side by side on the ground and dropped a screwdriver on them and the steel dents just as easily [as aluminum]. Every once in a while, we use steel to match a color that only steel comes in. Steel is a little bit cheaper." The price range for steel tends to run from $2.50 to $4 per foot. Aluminum gutters cost from $5 to $9 per lineal foot, installed. The metal is available in more than one thickness--opt for the thickest (.032 gauge) material.

Both aluminum and steel are made in a broad palette of colors. Alcoa produces a faux copper gutter that, at about $9 per lineal foot, installed, offers the look of copper at about half the price of the real thing.

Sectional Solutions
If you're planning to install your own gutters, a sectional vinyl system is your best bet. Rain Master, made by Bemis, has silicone gaskets that compress to form tight, leak-proof seals and allow gutters to expand and contract with heat changes. You virtually just plug the entire system together.

Vinyl doesn't rust, rot or require a finish, but it can become brittle over the years and crack when the weather is particularly cold. Colors are more limited: white and brown are the most common. Dark tones of vinyl tend to degrade from exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. Vinyl sectional gutters are relatively inexpensive at from $3 to $5 per 10-foot length, but you must factor-in the cost of fittings, which push the overall price per lineal foot to about $3 to $5.

Sectional aluminum gutters come in over 25 different colors; if you're looking to match a particular color of siding or trim, you may have the best success with these.

Sectional galvanized sheet metal gutters are another option. Mike Burgess of M&M Custom Sheet Metal in Burbank, California, says, "Before the last five years, most people chose galvanized gutters, which had to be painted. As a sheet metal contractor, I still prefer to do metal products [sheet metal]. Aluminum doesn't hold up substantially to a metal product. Even so, we do mostly aluminum because that's what people want."

Galvanized steel gutters may be professionally installed or purchased from home improvement centers as do-it-yourself systems--but the components must be soldered together, a challenge for the novice. Despite the galvanized finish, if water stands in the troughs, the gutter will eventually rust. And they must be painted. Burgess suggests, "Get bonderized steel gutters--they're pre-etched, so you just need to get a good red oxidized primer and a high quality paint. Be sure to get the chemical residues off before painting--wipe it down with a vinegar wash or a galvanize wash, available in hardware stores." Installed, galvanized steel gutters cost from $5.50 to $10 per lineal foot.

Copper Gutters
Most people agree that copper makes the ultimate gutter: handsome, with a natural patina that ages to a verdigris color. It doesn't require any finish. It will last as long as the house because it doesn't rust.

Copper gutters are installed either as half-round sectional systems or in the same profiles as seamless aluminum gutters. Sectional systems, fabricated by metal shops and soldered at the joints, are very expensive. Prices fluctuate with the value of copper, but expect to pay $15 to $20 per lineal foot. Seamless copper gutters, typically made from 16-ounce copper, are slightly less: from $13 to $18 per lineal foot, installed. At these values, copper gutters have become a target for thieves in some cities.

For restoration purists, lead-coated copper is also available in some areas. This will last over 75 years. A 5-inch sectional system runs over $20 per lineal foot, installed.

Stainless Steel
Though seldom used, stainless steel is another high-end custom material. Like copper, it doesn't rust and will last as long as the house. It is a little too glitzy for most homeowners, particularly at an installed cost of about $20 per lineal foot.

A Word About Wood
Wood gutters are rarely installed anymore because they are expensive and require considerable maintenance. But for architectural purists, wood is still an important option. Select lumber dealers have them specially milled and sell them in 10- and 20-foot lengths. Wood gutters are usually used with metal downspouts. The cost range for wood gutters runs from about $12 to $20, depending on the species, profile and general availability. Redwood and red cedar heartwoods have a natural resistance to decay, Douglas fir is also commonly used. Wood gutters should be treated with linseed oil once a year for water resistance. Wood can be painted, but because paint will crack and peel with moisture, painted gutters require periodic repainting.

Mounting Systems
Gutters are attached along a house's eaves by any of several types of straps, brackets and hangers, as shown in the illustration BELOW.

Dan Sommers of Mr. Penny Gutters in Pasadena, California, says, "We primarily use the hidden hanger method because, over the years, as the wood gets a little older, spikes [of a spike-and-ferrule hanger] tend to pull out. We screw a hanger to the fascia or rafter tail. When we don't have that alternative because there are no rafters or no fascia to attach to, we have to use a strap. If we can't get the strap under the shingles, we encourage the homeowner to wait and install gutters in conjunction with a new roof."

A crossbar hanger is particularly sturdy. It clips on front, goes over top of the gutter and clips on the bracket at the back.

Buying Tips
Anyone who can afford about $20,000 for a seamless gutter machine can start a gutter business, so be sure to check references and get more than one bid. If you're considering seamless gutters and one bid is considerably lower than another, check the gauge and other details. Coil stock is sold in several thicknesses, including .032, .027, and .025 inch. Be sure to specify the thicker .032 material. Also ask whether the material is primary or secondary aluminum. Primary aluminum is more likely to be of a consistent quality.

Be sure your contractor will hang gutters along a chalk line, snapped to allow the proper slope of 1/4 inch for each 10 feet toward a downspout. That way, your new gutters will flow properly, look good and add to the value of your house.

Leaf-catching Systems
Gutters should be kept free of leaves and other debris, otherwise water will back up at the downspouts, filling them up. When this happens, the weight can dislodge or bend the gutters. And, over time, sheet metal gutters may rust.

Inspect and clean gutters and downspouts at least twice a year. If you have this done professionally, expect to pay about $95 to $125 for a single-story, 2500-square-foot house and more for a two-story or larger house.

As an alternative, you may want to consider a leaf-catching system that filters leaves and debris from the water. Several types are manufactured, each exploiting a slightly different principle. Some may work well; others may not. The best way to check out a system is to request the names and phone numbers of satisfied customers and give them a call.

Even protected gutters will need to be cleaned on occasion (see below). Be sure you're clear about the ease of removing the leaf-catching devices (some are screwed in place or tucked under shingles). And consider the cost. Some of these are more expensive than the gutters themselves. Installed, Gutter Helmet costs about $9 per lineal foot; Waterloov is about $7.50 per foot; and Leafguard runs about $7 per foot. Rainhandler, a device that eliminates the gutter entirely by deflecting water into a spray, costs about $22 for a 5-foot section of the materials.

On the other hand, if you can't keep up with your gutter-cleaning chores, these systems may save your house from serious water damage.

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 or plastic splashblocks, slightly sloped and extending away from the house at least 4 feet.

The slope of gutters may also need to be adjusted from time to time. Run water through them, and if they drain slowly, reposition them so that they slope toward the downspouts at a rate of 1 inch for every 20 feet.

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.

If your climate delivers abundant rainfall, you may want to have your downspout run into a dry well. The well should be a hole 2 to 4 feet wide and 3 feet deep, or a 55-gallon drum, with both ends removed and filled with rocks, that you’ve buried and punctured with holes. Underground drainage pipes should slope to the dry well, which will effectively keep water away from the house’s foundations. Check local building codes before installing.


How to Clean Gutters
To do their job, gutters and downspouts must be clear of leaves and debris. If they aren't, drain outlets will dam-up and rainwater will fill the gutters, back up, overflow, and eventually pull gutters loose from their mountings. Water that pools in troughs will rot wood gutters and rust sheet metal ones.

You can hire a service to clean your gutters (see "Gutters" in your Yellow Pages), but by doing the work yourself you can save $100 or more.

Plan to clean gutters at least twice a year-more often if the roof is directly beneath trees. But only take on this task yourself if you know you can work safely from a ladder or the roof. If your roof is higher than a single story or you're unsure of your job's safety, you're better off hiring a professional.

Choose a sturdy ladder and place it on a firm, level base. A tall stepladder can be easier to use than an extension ladder; if you must lean an extension ladder against a gutter, protect the gutter from bending by placing a short piece of 2-by-4 inside it. Stand on the ladder with your hips between the rails-don't lean out over the sides. Never stand on the top two rungs.

If you're comfortable working from the rooftop and your roof has a very low pitch, this can be easier than working from a ladder. But only do this under extremely safe conditions. Never work on the roof in wet, icy, or windy conditions. Wear non-slip shoes and never lean over the edge or work near power lines.

When cleaning gutters, wear heavy work gloves to protect your hands. Gutters often have sharp metal parts or screw points sticking out into their troughs; take care to avoid cutting your hands. Also wear safety glasses or goggles.

The conventional method for cleaning gutters is discussed below. A method sometimes used by home handymen on low-sloped roofs is to blow dry debris out of gutters with a leaf-blower. If you use this method, wear goggles and a dust mask, and be very careful!

1 Scoop out loose debris [Fig. 1].
Starting at a drain outlet at the low end of a gutter, use a narrow garden trowel to scoop out loose debris, working away from drain outlet. It's usually easiest to do this when the debris is slightly damp and pliable--not soggy or dried and encrusted. To minimize cleanup later, you can scoop the debris into a plastic garbage can liner.

2 Blast out the gutters with a hose [Fig. 2].
Using an on-off high-pressure nozzle mounted at the end of a water hose, wash out each length of gutter, working toward the drain outlet. This can be a messy job-avoid splattering mud all over your house. If necessary, use a stiff scrub brush to break loose encrusted dirt.

3 Clear obstructions in drainpipes [Fig. 3].
If water doesn't drain freely through drainpipes, try flushing debris down them with the hose. If that doesn't work, use a plumber's auger (snake) to free and pull out debris from the bottom as shown. You can help keep the drainpipes free of debris by installing leaf strainers in at the tops (these are available at home-improvement centers and hardware stores).

4 Repair leaks.
If you see areas where water is leaking through seams between gutter sections, mark the leak locations with chalk, allow the gutter to dry completely, then seal the leaks from inside with gutter seal.

5 Re-align sagging gutters.
If gutters are not sloped properly at a pitch of 1 inch for each 20 feet of length, they won't drain properly toward downspouts. To support sagging gutters, bend or add new hangers, or add new fasteners.

--Don Vandervort

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