Your gutters protect your home from the threat of the water damage, directing water runoff away from your property. For this to work as intended, proper placement is imperative; otherwise, this can lead to a host of problems, from roof damage to foundation issues. Royal Roofing Construction explains more in this blog post.
Signs of Proper Gutter Placement
A properly placed and installed gutter system has the following:
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Correct Distance From the Roof Edge. Gutters must have a gap of at least three inches between them and the first row of shingles above. This way, all rainwater flowing down the roof can find its way toward the gutter trough. An excessive gap would mean some of the water runoff ending up landing on the ground, saturating the soil and exposing the foundation to further issues
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Correct Distance From the Exterior Wall. Typical sloped roofs have rafter tails that extend far from the siding. That’s not the case in some building designs, where roof edges are inches away from the exterior walls. To prevent water from finding its way to the siding, the gutters must be located past the roof edge.
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Correct Distance From the Fascia Boards. Your roof’s fascia boards are the vertical pieces of material near the edge of the first row of shingles. They not only cover the rafter tails but are also where gutter fasteners are attached to. The rear part of the gutters must be securely attached on the fascia board just behind the drip edge to keep water from finding its way behind them.
How To Tell if Your Gutters Aren’t Properly Installed
What if the gutters were improperly installed? You can tell this is the case as soon as you notice the following signs:
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Gutter Coming Loose. A typical gutter system measures 10 feet running along the roofline. If not installed correctly, the seams may begin to open, causing water to leak out. The additional strain on the fasteners may then cause the gutter trough to pull away and come loose.
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Water Collecting Inside Your Gutters. Gutters must have a slight slope toward the downspout for proper drainage; any standing water collecting inside may lead to rust, which can then result in leaks.
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Stains on Your Home Exteriors. If you notice water stains on the surface of your siding or near your windows, then it’s likely that the gutters are improperly placed and are causing the overflow.
Avoiding these issues starts with hiring the right contractor for your gutter installation project. For that, you can rely on the experienced team at Royal Roofing Construction. Call us at (714) 680-0015, or complete our online request form. We serve clients in California including those in Sta. Ana, CA, and the surrounding communities.
