What size eavestrough (gutter) is most often installed on residential properties?
5 inch eavestrough is what majority of contractors install on residential properties. 6 inch eavestrough is used on commercial properties and large houses. In most cases, 6 inch eavestrough is too large if installed on a house smaller than 5000sq. ft.
What type of gutter fastening system is best?
When it comes to fastening eavestrough to your house there are 3 choices. Most economical choice is nails. This is what some builders still use to attach eavestrough. Your second choice is hidden hanger brackets. This is what we use at DVC Aluminum. We use premium quality hanger brackets. Advantages of brackets: 1. Brackets are screwed in so they don’t come loose. 2. Brackets are installed on the inner side of eavestrough which makes them hidden/invisible. Third choice to fasten gutters to your house is leaf guard that serves as a fastener as well. We at DVC Aluminum use leaf guard to prevent leaves to enter your eavestrough, but we do not use the type that serves as a fastener. This is for two reasons. 1. Once this leaf guard is installed it can not be removed to make repairs to eavestrough if damage occurs. 2. Outer clip of this product that is holding gutter edge can sometimes unclip as gutter expands due to ice in winter months. There is no way of repairing this unless whole run is replaced.
Is leaf guard needed? Is it a good product?
If your house is surrounded by trees, we at DVC Aluminum advise purchase of strong, reliable, quality leaf guard that will prevent leaves from entering the eavestrough. It’s very important to initially install good leaf guard (with new eavestrough or on top of recently cleaned existing eavestrough). If low quality leaf guard is installed and fails to perform you will be faced with a bigger problem. We carry samples of hanger brackets and leaf guard to all our free estimate appointments. This way you can see and touch the product and there are no surprises.
What is downspout size that should be installed on my house?
New houses built by all major builders in GTA feature the 2.5″x2.5″ (small square) downspouts. Even though these downspouts are called “small square”, in 99% of installations this kind of downspout combined with 5″ eavestrough works well. We at DVC Aluminum like to install the 3″x3″ (large square) downspouts on your property for one simple reason. Large square downspouts allow more water to flow faster as we try to avoid any possible eavestrough overflow caused by heavy rainfalls. It is also possible to go with even larger downspouts (4″x3″), but if you opt for this kind your colour options become limited since not many suppliers carry it. Also, these 4″x3″ downspouts may appear bulky on small-mid size houses.
How many downspouts are needed on my house?
It’s better to have more downspouts than less. If more downspouts are being installed it’s easier for contractors to configure a proper eavestrough slope. Good slope ensures water will not be sitting in your eavestrough. Unfortunately, some home owners are limited with the amount of places where downspouts can be installed. In this case we try our best to find available spots in order to install sufficient amount of downspouts and get water not to sit in the gutter and to run away from the house.
Why is there ice in my gutters?
Excessive amounts of ice in the eavestrough are caused by few factors. 1. Sunny weather after a heavy snow fall. You will notice that only one side of your home is prone to ice. 2. Insufficient insulation in the roof system. Heat goes up through the roof, heats up the snow which melts and turns into ice inside the eavestrough. 3. Another cause of ice in the eavestrough can be improper eavestrough slope. If water sits in your eavestrough in the summer, ice will be there in the winter.
