Gutters

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You gotta have them, especially here in the North West.  Before you go and install a basic gutter do some homework so you don't end up with this problem.

There are actually trees growing in our gutters and it's been less than a year.

One problem we had was that we were in such a hurry to get our occupancy permit and gutters were one of the requirements that we just slapped up a standard gutter.  We knew there were going to be problems but it solved our immediate problem so we figured we would get to it later.

I know there are gutter caps and gutter screens but from what I hear in this neighborhood they don't work either.  We have too many pine needles and big leaf maples for that. 

We are looking at a system called the rain handler.  It's a series of louvers that the rain splashes off of.  That might be what we need here but more research needs to be done.

If you are looking at putting gutters up my suggestion would be to check out the neighborhood that shares the same trees that you have and see what your neighbors are doing and what is and what is not working for them.

Comments

[Saple]

Not to bad mouth the rain handler but my father had these installed on the house and they did not work worth a dang.... after about 5 years he paid to have real gutters installed on the house because it just wasn't worth it... Water will follow gravity unless it has force behind it so every little rain would just soak the side of the house

[Jane]

I am hearing a lot of that. Thanks for the input. Looking at some sort of cover now.

[Charles Boyle]

Don't fight it:

I used to live in Solomon Islands working as an architect and developing low-cost technologies for remote island villages through the Baha'i community. We used to build gutters to gather rainwater, avoid having dead birds in the water tank or gutters clogged with leaves:

1. Install an 8" (200mm) fascia board.

2. fix a 4" (100mm) PVC downpipe HORIZONTALLY along the fascia so that the tangent aligns with the underside of the roof sheeting. Use standard pipe brackets and clips, and cap the ends (to stop snakes setting up home)

3. Run the roof sheeting out to about 2.5" (65mm) so that the drip edge rests 0.5" (12mm) beyond the crown of the pipe fixed to the fascia.

4. Install a normal gutter below with a width not exceeding 4" so the outside lip is back from the outermost reach of the pipe.

The rain will run and be held to the pipe by surface tension.
surface tension, but dead parrots and leaves will drop off the edge of the peipe being too heavy.

The rain however will gather at the bottom edge of the pipe and drop into the gutter.

Extremely heavy rain will simply be too heavy to cling to the pipe and will overshoot the pipe and gutter.

The system needs occasional cleaning of algal growth along the underside of the pipe (although this is generally quite harmless).

Hope this helps.
Regards,
CHARLES BOYLE
Architect
Perth, Australia

[Richard Marahora]

Gutters always causing bigger issue when trying to maintain roof of the buildings and some houses now trying to use pvc pipes plus fix to end edge of the roofing sheets only water will enter whilst the leave will pushed over the gutter.It does work but we have to maintain it thoroughly.

[Heather]

I actually installed a gutter guard system myself. It is a stainless steel mesh guard called Gutterglove Gutterguard. I was shocked with how easy it was to install. It lets nothing through it but water, so we never have to clean it. I love having it on my home because now I know there will be no damage to it from
clogged overflowing guttters and my husband and i never have to take the time to clean it. I found it at www.gutterglove.com. Well worth the investment!