DIY Roof Drainage
A rain gutter is a roof drainage system that serves an understated but important role in protecting your home. Rain water and melting snow flow into the gutter and are directed to a downspout, which prevents the water from spilling over the edge of the roof and collecting in the ground next to your home. If the ground next to the foundation of your home becomes saturated with water, it can leak into the basement or damage the foundation by eroding the soil beneath it. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Hammer
- Nails
- Tape measure
- Chalk snap line
- Drill
- 1/2-inch drill bit
- Stud finder
- Fascia brackets
- 1/4-inch stainless-steel lag screws
- Gutter
- Hacksaw
- Pop rivet gun
- Pop rivets
- Clear silicone adhesive
- End caps
- Downspout outlet
- 1/4-inch drill bit
- 4-inch hole saw
- 3/16-inch drill bit
- No. 8-32 stainless-steel machine screws, 1 inch
- Flanged nuts
- Strip miters
- Downspout elbows
- Downspout
- Needle-nose pliers
- Screws
Instructions
-
-
1
Examine the fascia and nail any any loose sections to the end of the rafters. The fascia is the flat board at the end of the rafters.
-
2
Measure the fascia to determine the length of the gutter.
-
-
3
Drive a nail partway into the fascia an inch from the top at the end of the gutter that will not have the downspout attached.
-
4
Drive a second nail into the fascia at the other end. The two nails will act as a guide when setting the gutter, which will be sloped toward the end with the downspout. The slope should be 1/2-inch for every 10 feet of length. So if the gutter is 30 feet long, the second nail should be 1 1/2 inches lower than the first nail. Snap a chalk line between the two nails.
-
5
Drill a 1/2-inch pilot hole into the fascia at every other rafter along the chalk line. Find the rafters with a stud finder or by looking for a nail in the fascia every 16 inches.
-
6
Install fascia brackets by driving 1/4-inch stainless-steel lag screws into the pilot holes.
-
7
Cut the section of gutter you need with a hacksaw. If the section you have isn't long enough to meet your needs, cut two smaller sections and fit them together by overlapping them by 8 inches and connecting them with a pop rivet every inch around the gutter. Seal the joint by applying a thick bead of clear silicone adhesive to it.
-
8
Attach the end cap to the gutter with pop rivets and cover the joint where the end cap and gutter meet with a thick bead of clear silicone adhesive.
-
9
Turn the gutter upside down and hold a downspout outlet onto the end of the gutter where it is being installed. Trace the outline of the downspout outlet onto the gutter.
-
10
Drill a pilot hole into the center of the trace line with a 1/4-inch drill bit.
-
11
Flip the gutter over and drill a hole through the gutter with a 4-inch hole saw, centering it over the pilot hole. Attach the downspout outlet to the gutter by sliding it through the hole and installing four pop rivets around the edge of the downspout outlet. Apply a thick bead of clear silicone adhesive around the joint.
-
12
Slide the gutter onto the fascia brackets and rotate the back edge upward until it snags the hooks on the rear of the brackets.
-
13
Drill a 3/16-inch pilot hole through the screw-mounting hole in the front edge of the brackets and the gutter. Attach the gutter to the brackets with 1-inch-long No. 8-32 stainless-steel machine screws and flanged nuts.
-
14
Attach strip miters to the joints on the bottom of the gutter with eight pop rivets at each joint.
-
15
Slide a downspout elbow onto the tube from the downspout outlet that extends from the gutter. Lay another elbow on the ground directly beneath it and measure the space between the two. Cut a section of downspout to fit between the two elbows.
-
16
Crimp the edges of the downspout slightly with needle-nose pliers so they can slide into the elbows.
-
17
Slide the downspout elbows into the elbows and secure them with screws or pop rivets.
-
1
References
- Photo Credit Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images
