Household Gutters - The Fourth And Fifth Mistakes Made By Novice Gutter Installers

As a result of Easy Flow Gutter’s experience with the installation of domestic household gutters in homes, houses and residences in residential areas in Johannesburg South Africa, they have realised that novice installers will make certain basic errors. The company needs to make these handymen/women and do it yourself protagonists aware of these mistakes before they initiate start installing their own domestic gutters. The fourth mistake made by these novice gutter installers is to place the gutter incorrectly. Gutters are installed to catch the water that runs down the roof. The water that runs down the roof then falls off the edge of the roof and the gutters are placed or built in the correct place at the end of the roof to catch the water. The point here is that the gutters need to be placed a few inches under the edge of your roof and not directly onto the edge of the roof as most people would assume. Why is this?

Due to the capillary action principle rain water will run off the edge of the roof but at the same time will also be pulled back up on the underside, due to capillary action and then drip out a few inches underneath the roof’s edge as well. A way to permanently solve and cater for the capillary action that will always occur, is to install a drip edge. So what is a drip edge? A drip edge, according to Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia on the internet, is defined as, quote “A metal flashing or other overhanging component with an outward projecting lower edge, intended to control the direction of dripping water and help protect underlying building components” end quote. The novice household gutters installer needs to install the drip edge under the first course of shingles which will then allow the rain water to run freely from the edge of the roof down into the gutter. If a drip edge is not installed as part of the household gutters system the rain water will then run down behind the gutter, down the fascia board and siding, causing probable damage.

The fifth installation mistake made by novices is that they use too many seams instead of installing seamless gutters. Once installed, the household gutters or entire guttering system will need to be welded or soldered together in order to be attached to the roof. Make sure that you make as few welds as possible. Over time, the seams and other material in gutters are exposed to extreme hot and cold temperatures, severe force and obviously masses of water. All these factors slowly erode any connections you solder or weld, causing the gutters to ultimately break if they are not regularly inspected and maintained. The seams are the weak point in any gutter system and the less you have the longer your household gutters will last. Seamless gutters or continuous rain gutters are another installation option to counter this erosion problem and it is recommended that novices install this type of guttering system.

Visit http://www.easyflowgutters.co.za/products-and-services/household-gutters/ to contact Easy Flow Gutters and request a quote to have your household gutters installed.

To learn more about the household gutters services offered by Easy Flow Gutters visit this link Household Gutters Guttering Installed In Domestic Homes Houses Residences And Residential Areas In Johannesburg South Africa.