How to Fix Rain Gutters That Are Pulling Away From the House

Keep your gutters in top condition to prevent damage to your home.

You can identify a drooping gutter, or one whose supports have loosened and allowed it to pull away from the house, by noticing water that is leaking from a low spot in the gutters, long after rainfall has stopped. This leak is from pooled water at a low spot along the gutter. Repair this problem when you notice it, as the weight of the water may cause the gutter to pull even farther from the house. There are three methods of repairing sagging gutters, depending on the design. This repair is easier if you have a helper assisting you.

Things You'll Need

• Ladder
• Chalk line
• Pry bar
• Hammer
• Galvanized nails
• Gutter screws
• Replacement brackets
• 6d galvanized nails

Instructions

Strap-Type Hanger

1. Place the ladder, or two ladders, if you have a helper, beside the house. Climb the ladders and snap a chalk line that extends from the gutter's downspout to the gutter's highest end. Snap the line against the fascia, which is the wood board against which the gutter is installed.

2. Lift up the edges of the roof shingles at the point where the gutter is pulling away. The end of the strap hanger is located underneath the shingles. Wedge the flat end of a pry bar underneath the strap hanger and pry up the nails that anchor it.

3. Hold the gutter up, even with the chalk line. Pull the strap tight. Hammer galvanized nails into the strap holes, replacing the old nails, to anchor the strap underneath the shingle. Be sure not to make holes in the roofing.

Spike-and-Ferrule Hangers

1. Wedge a wood block into the gutter, at the spot where the spike has pulled out. Place the claws of a hammer around the spike and tug it out.

2. Drill a new hole through the gutter, about 2 inches away from the old spike hole. Make certain the drill bit creates a hole that is approximately the same size as the old hole.

3. Install a drive bit into the drill. Hold the gutter up to the chalk line on the fascia. Insert a gutter screw through the new hole. Drive the screw into the fascia, using the drill.

Bracket Hangers

1. Press in on the mounting bracket which runs underneath the gutter and remove the clamp from over the top of the gutter. Have a helper hold the gutter in place.

2. Pry the mounting bracket from the fascia, using the pry bar. Align the replacement bracket with the chalk line on the fascia, and drive 6d galvanized nails through the bracket with a hammer, into the fascia, to secure it.

3. Insert the gutter down into the new bracket from above. Press the bracket in, and snap the clamp into place over the top of the gutter.

References

• This Old House; Repairing Damaged Gutters; Merle Henkenius
• Don Vandervort's Home Tips; Rain Gutters Sag; Don Vandervort