Tips For Replacing Gutters And Downspouts On Your Home

You may not give much thought as to the gutters and downspouts that are installed on your home, but these are very important for directing water away from your siding and foundation. Without gutters and downspouts, water could collect around your foundation and cause pressure to build up, which in turn can lead to cracks and leaks. This is why it's important that you replace any broken gutters or downspout or sections that are dented or cracked. Note a few important tips for getting this job done right:

1. Invest in the widest, highest quality gutters recommended

Gutters have gauges that tell you the quality and thickness of the material used for them. A 26 gauge gutter is standard for most residential homes, but if you live in a very rainy area or one that gets lots of snow and ice during winter, you would do well to invest in a 32 gauge. This will be thicker and more durable, and will hold up better under heavy rain and snow. This is especially important if you're replacing gutters because they've pulled away from your home, as this often means that they were not strong enough for standard weather conditions.

Wider gutters are also good for allowing more rainwater or snow to drain away from your home without clogging the gutters. Residential homes usually have gutters that are five inches wide, but investing in six-inch gutters can mean allowing for more water to flow away from your home at once.

2. Be sure you pitch or slope the gutters

A gutter may look like it's perfectly level, but in truth it needs to be pitched or sloped toward the downspout. If your gutters have pulled away from the home, they may not have been pitched properly so that water and snow runs down to the downspouts. Instead, it just collected in the gutters. Be sure you follow this pitch or slope when installing new gutters and downspouts on your own home.

3. Locate the gutter behind the roof's edge

Your home's gutters should not be evenly placed along the edge of the roof but should be placed just slightly behind its edge. This is because water will tend to run backwards off the roof as it drains, and when a gutter is placed in line with the roof's edge, it will miss much of the water runoff. You might not notice this if your old gutters have already pulled away from your home, but placing the gutters just behind the roof's edge will ensure your home is protected from all rainwater and runoff.

For more information, contact a company like Guttercraft Melbourne.