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Repairing Metal Gutters
Rain can bring life to your lawn and garden, but it can be murder on
your house. Gutters take the brunt of the storms and so they need to
be taken care of. If they aren’t, they can cause extensive damage to
the outside and inside of your house. Clogged, dented or torn gutters
can create pools of water which then leak into your basement.
There are some new products that have been developed that work as preventive
measures against clogs. One is a mesh gutter guard which covers the
gutter so leaves can’t get into it. To prevent things from going down
the downspout, there are downspout strainers. These items help prevent
future problems, but there are some problems that you need to take care
of now.
Some minor problems, such as holes and cracks, can be fixed by filling
them with gutter caulk or by using a gutter patching kit. (These are
applied to the inside of the gutter.) There are more serious problems
in which you’ll need to patch a tear or replace a section of gutter.
If you have extensive damage, you need to start over and install new
gutters.
Caution: Use an adjustable ladder stabilizer that attaches to your ladder
and braces on the roof. This helps keep the ladder from slipping and
it also allows you to work on the gutters that are directly in front
of you. It is important to brace the feet of the ladder. Put the ladder
feet on blocks (to make them level) and then drive stakes into the ground
so that they are right behind the ladder feet.
Patch a Tear in a Metal Gutter
Tools and Materials:
Extension ladder (one that reaches 3-feet above the edge of your roof
to provide stability)
Ladder stabilizer
2 stakes and wooden pieces (act as brace for ladder)
Wire brush
Abrasive pad
Putty knife (small)
Roof cement
Metal flashing (made of same metal as gutter and big enough to cover
bottom and side of gutter)
Step 1. Clean Area: Use the ladder with the ladder stabilizer
to reach the gutters. Make sure you brace the feet of the ladder. Clean
the damaged area with a wire brush. Go over it with an abrasive pad.
Wash the dust and residue away. Let dry.
Step 2. Apply Roof Cement: Cover the damaged area, plus a few
inches outside, with roof cement using the putty knife. You want the
cement to be about 1/8-inch thick.
Step 3. Fix Patch with Roof Cement: Bend the flashing to fit
the inside contours of the gutter. You want it to cover the damaged
area and one side. Press the patch into the cement. With a little bit
of roof cement, go over the edges of the patch. You want to feather
the edges of the cement so that you don’t cause a dam to form. Feathering
is done by using more pressure at the edges of the cement, thereby making
it thinner.
Replacing Section of Gutters
Tools and Materials You Need:
Extension ladder (one that reaches 3 feet above the edge of your roof
to provide stability)
Ladder stabilizer
2 stakes and wooden pieces (act as brace for ladder)
Wood spacer that is as wide as your gutter
Screwdriver or pry bar (depends on what kind of gutter hangers you have)
Little spacers (to put behind gutter when you are cutting)
Hacksaw
Gutter (same material and shape as the old one)
Wire brush
Gutter caulk
Screwdriver (may want to use an electric one)
6 sheet metal screws
Step 1. Remove Gutter Hangers: Use the ladder with the ladder
stabilizer to reach the gutters. Make sure you brace the feet of the
ladder. Take off any gutter hangers that are in or around the damaged
area using the screwdriver or pry bar (depends on what kind of gutter
hangers you have). Put the wood spacer in between the gutter to protect
it. Now when you put pressure on the gutter, you won’t distort it.
Step 2. Cut Damaged Area Out: Slip the little spacers between
the gutter and the wall. (This protects the roof and wall when you are
cutting the gutter.) Cut out the damaged section of gutter using the
hacksaw.
Step 3. Make Gutter Section: Cut the new gutter section so that
it is 4 inches longer than the damaged area that you cut out. Turn the
gutter upside down and cut, making sure you have a solid base to work
from.
Step 4. Position Gutter Section: Use a wire brush and scrub the
inside edges of the old gutter. Caulk the ends of the old gutter from
the inside, about 2 inches worth on sides and bottom of gutter at each
end. Then place the new piece into the old gutter. The new piece should
be centered so that the caulk is covered on both ends. Press the new
section into the caulk.
Step 5. Rehang Gutters: Screw or rivet the new pieces together
using 3 on each side. Caulk over the screws that are exposed on the
inside of the gutter. Reattach the gutter hangers.
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