The rain gutter may not be an exciting fixture of your home, but they surely perform a very important function. Rain gutters carry water from your roof and take it to a single location for disposal. If the gutters are not functional, the constant raindrops can damage the soil around the house.
Gutter repair is very important for proper house maintenance. You can follow a few steps to do gutter repair yourself. Regular gutter repair and maintenance is very important to avoid sagging gutters. A clogged gutter can create a large amount of compost within the gutter itself.
“Tips for Cleaning and Repairing Gutters”, an article by Brad Staggs, offers a complete guideline for your aluminum gutters repair.
Cleaning and Inspection
The first step of any gutter repair is to climb a ladder and clean the goop out of the gutter. All spikes must be checked, which goes through the gutter. Sometimes, the spikes will be missing the rafters entirely. Replacing the gutter spike will be a better option than trying to repair it in those situations. Fasten the gutter tightly as saggy gutters are not recommended for proper water disposal.
Search for any leaks in the gutter seams. Holes in the gutter or a cracked gutter can leak rainwater, which will rot the board. You can use a chisel to scrape the old caulking out to dry the area. Bead silicon can stop the rainwater from getting behind the gutters. Checking the rivets on the downspout is very important. The rivets will be loose and you will need a rivet gun to tighten them. If you don’t have a rivet gun, you can buy one fairly cheaply from a hardware shop.
After the mechanics, you can start the cleaning work. A pressure washer will do the job nicely for you. You can use your water hose or rent a power washer for better results. See the manual for instructions; the power washer can be used with your garden hose. Wash away the dirt and other things from the gutter with your pressure washer. Make sure to install new spikes before trying the power washer. A saggy gutter can be damaged with heavy pressure. Avoid hitting the gutter at too high an angle as it might blow off the shingles.
Replacements
An old and rusty gutter should be replaced with seamless aluminum gutters. Aluminum gutters don’t rust and will work for a long time. Contact us today see our collection of seamless gutters. We offer a wide range of aluminum gutters for you to choose from. We serve Fort Collins, CO, Loveland, CO, Longmont, CO, Greeley, CO, and all of northern Colorado. If you don’t want to replace the old ones, you should get all the rust off and paint them with good primer.
(Image and excerpt from “Tips for Cleaning and Repairing Gutters”)