How to Install Rain Gutters

Ron Hazelton's first HouseCall of this episode takes him to beautiful West Chester, Pennsylvania. For Jim and Jeanine Breslin, living in this 18th century farmhouse offers more than its share of delights. But it naturally has a few drawbacks, as well. Drainage from the roof is one of them.

When the Breslin's bought this old farmhouse, it didn't have any rain gutters. The water poured from the roof resulting in a rotted porch below along with other obvious inconveniences. The Breslins did not want to go through another rainy season without a solution to their problem. They asked Ron if he would help.

Click Here For a list of what you will need in order to complete this project.

1. Calculate slope of the eaves:

• The first task is to figure out the slope of the eaves, which then tells you where the water naturally flows.
• Use a simple, two-dollar item called a line-level. This is a small level attached to a string, which allows you to create a level as long as you need, in this case thirty-six feet.
• Ron pointed out how much the Breslin's roof was out of level, from one end compared to the other and how that would be used to their advantage.

• A gutter attached to a long portion of porch roof needs to be sloped to carry the rainwater towards one end and eventually into a downspout. All gutters must slope at least ¼ inch for every ten linear feet to provide proper drainage.

• Strike a level reference line, with a chalk-line, and then make a second mark ¼ of an inch below the reference line to indicate the correct slope.

• Some portions of the gutter will need to have a ninety-degree turn or elbow on each end. To determine the proper length for the straight section, hold the elbows in place and then mark their ends. From this mark we subtract ¼ inch to allow room for the seams that will be installed later.

• Rain gutters are made of aluminum, copper, plastic or sometimes even wood, but aluminum seems to be the most popular probably because it's inexpensive and easy to install. When you buy rain gutters, you will usually find them in ten-foot sections that need to be measured and cut to length and then hooked together with special connectors.

2. Measure and cut gutters to length:

• With the tape measure, measure down from one end of the gutter piece and make a mark at the desired length. Use a combination square to continue that line all the way around the gutter.
• Heavy-duty tin snips are the best tool to use for cutting the gutter to length. Ron recommends a simple technique. Start at the top and cut down the face of the gutter first, then make the second cut down the back. Finally, crease the gutter and make the third and final cut across the bottom. Be very careful! The edges of cut aluminum are razor sharp.

3. Attach gutters to eaves :

• Use hanging brackets to attach the gutters to the edge of the eaves. The manufacturer suggests placing the brackets six inches from each end and then every eighteen to twenty-four inches for the length of the gutter.
• Snap the brackets onto the measured and cut gutter sections and then head up to the roof. To mount the gutters, drive a # 8 x 1 ½" screw through each bracket and into the face-board on the eaves.

4. Attach downspouts:

• For the last section of gutter that Ron installed, he demonstrated how to connect a downspout. While Jeanine held the gutter in place, Ron marked the location of the downspout hole.
• A sleeve section is used to connect the downspout to the gutter. To install it, you will have to cut a square hole in the bottom of the gutter. Use the sleeve as a template, lay it on the gutter and trace the outline with a pencil.

• In order to cut out the downspout opening, Ron recommends using a spring loaded automatic center punch to make a mark in each corner. Then drill starter holes and cut the opening using a jigsaw. When the opening is cut, file the edges smooth.

• Apply a silicone sealant to the lip of the downspout connector, and place it into the cutout and press it into place. Finally, secure the downspout connector with short sheet metal screws.

• For the last gutter section in the run, install an end cap. The cap is slipped into place and the edges are crimped with pliers to hold it in position. With the downspout sleeve installed, you are ready to hang the gutter.
• Once the gutter is attached to the face-board, measure the length for the downspout.

• The two ends on a piece of downspout may look the same but if you look more closely, you'll see that they're not. One end is tapered so that it will slip into the end of the next section. When you are cutting downspout pieces, always cut off the larger end, never cut off the taper. When you are installing downspouts, make sure that the large end is up and the tapered end is down. This will allow water to flow past the joint without leaking.

• Assemble the downspout to do a test fit. In this project, Ron ran into a difficulty he hadn't planned on. The bottom of the downspout was hitting the concrete below.
• Ron's solution was to cut wooden spacers from 2 X 4 lumber. The aluminum mounting straps were then attached to the spacers with #8 x ¾" screws, which were then attached to the post using #10 x 3" screws.
• Slip the downspout assembly over the connector and secure it in place with screws. Then fold the aluminum mounting straps around the downspouts and attach them with screws.

5. Connect gutters:

• The final step is to connect the straight sections of the gutter to each other and to the corner angles using two-inch strips of aluminum called seamers. These pieces overlap the joints and fill in the ¼ inch gap left earlier.
• Apply a heavy bead of sealant on the inside of the gutter at the joints. This should make them watertight. Allow the sealant to dry overnight and then take a garden hose and put it in the higher end of the gutter to make sure the water is flowing in the proper direction, going into the downspout and not leaking at the joints.
• If you have trees that overhang your roof, they are likely to dump leaves into your gutters. Ron recommends installing leaf guards anywhere trees might present this problem.

RESULTS:

The Breslins enjoy living in an old house, especially now that they have added rain gutters, a modern convenience that most of us take for granted. With Ron's help and encouragement and a few tools from his mobile workshop, they were able to complete this project in just a little over a day.