Back To The Family Handyman
Del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
StumbleUpon
TwitThis
Tips and Techniques
Here are a few planning tips:
-
Locate downspouts in unobstructed areas where water can be directed away from the house. Avoid locations with obstacles like electric meters, hose bibs or sidewalks.
-
Place downspouts in inconspicuous locations if possible.
-
Install oversized 3 x 4-in. downspouts on gutters that drain large roof areas or if you live in an area with torrential rains.
-
Slope long gutter runs (40 ft. or more) down both directions from the middle and put a downspout on each end.
-
Buy special roof hanger mounting straps for houses without fascia boards or for fascias that aren’t vertical.
Cutting And Joining The Gutters
Preassemble Gutters
It’s much easier to join sections on the ground than to work from the top of a ladder. Instead of butting parts together and covering the joints with a seam cover as recommended by the manufacturer, lap all seams from 2 to 4 in. Then caulk and rivet them together. We’ve shown joining a gutter section to a corner. Use the same process to join two sections of gutter, except overlap the pieces at least 4 in. When you’re splicing gutter sections, plan ahead to leave the best-looking factory-cut end on the outside if possible. Also lap the gutters so the inside section is facing downhill to prevent water from being forced out the seam.
Where a gutter ends, cut it to extend about an inch past the end of the fascia board to catch water from the overhanging shingles. Then attach an end cap with rivets and seal the joint from the inside with gutter sealant.
Adding Downspouts And OutletsCut In Downspout Tubes At Each Downspout Location
First measure from the corner of the house to the center of your chosen downspout location. Double-check for obstructions. Transfer this dimension to the gutter and cut in a downspout outlet. This method takes a few minutes longer than using one of the short gutter sections with a preinstalled outlet, but it eliminates two seams and looks much neater. You can make this cutout with a duckbill tin snips, but a special offset snips like we’re using ($15 at hardware stores and home centers) is much easier for beginners.
TIP: Place two short scraps of 2x4 side by side under the gutter to support it while you chisel the notch.
Hanging Gutter Sections
A Little Slope Is All You Need
The number and size of downspouts determines how fast your gutters will empty. Sloping them helps eliminate standing water that can cause corrosion and leak through the seams. Slope each gutter run down toward the downspout about 1/4 in. for every 10 ft. of gutter. If your fascia boards are level, you can use them as a reference for sloping the gutters. Check this by holding a level against the bottom edge. If they aren’t level, adjust the string line until a level aligned with it shows a slight slope. Snap a chalk line to indicate the top of the gutter. Then straighten gutter sections as you screw them to the fascia by aligning the top edge with the chalk line.
Flashing Protects Your Fascia And Soffit From Water Damage
Prevent water from running behind your gutters by installing a metal gutter apron flashing under the shingles and over
the back edge of the gutter. If your home center or hardware store doesn’t sell prebent flashing, ask an aluminum siding contractor or local sheet metal fabricator to bend some for you.
Ideally the flashing should be slid under both the shingles and the roofing paper or ice and water barrier. If this isn’t possible because the ice and water barrier is stuck to the sheathing, or there are too many nails and staples along the edge of the roofing paper, then just slip the flashing under the shingles. If the flashing you’re using is too short to reach down over the back edge of the gutter, slip an additional strip of sheet metal flashing under the bent flashing and over the gutters.
Install Hidden Hangers
With the gutters screwed to the fascia, it’s a simple job to install the hidden gutter hangers. Install hangers every 2 ft. to support the gutters and strengthen the front edge. The hangers are designed to slip over the back edge of the gutter, but since we’ve covered this edge with flashing, just hold them level and drive the screws through the flashing and gutter back into the fascia. The large screws included with the hangers we used are a little tricky to get started, especially through steel gutters and flashing. Spin them at high speed without applying much pressure until the screwtip bites into the metal. Then lean on the drill and drive them into the fascia.
Advertisement 
