Leaky Gutter Repair

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8
Location
Hawaii
Aloha all. I'm unsure if anyone might assist with a gutter question?

We've had issues with leaky gutter corners since the gutters were installed. Fixes have been attempted by the installer and builder but still leaking!

I don't know what they used to repair/seal.

That said, any tips on doing it myself for a permanent fix? Would you scrape up whatever gunk is currently not sealing the corner; if so how? What would you use to seal?

Note: I've used Sikaflex 1A to seal around vent stacks in our metal roof. We've used Sikaflex since we have a water catchment system and it's certified to NSF/ANSI standard 61 for portable water.

Thank you again in advance for any tips!
 

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Agree with Darren that it could just be over-run from the valley. Happens to mine during any heavy rain and I keep forgetting to put a gusher guard on. Unless the gutter is holding a lot of water because of a clogged downspout, most don't hold water long enough to leak in a major way when normally sealed. If it is the joint, Lowe's sells several types of gutter seal.
 
Thanks all. It might be partially over-run, but it leaks even shortly after the rain stops. Good point about "holding" water; I think when they installed, they may have not angled the gutters properly so that water is possibly ponding in the corner. That might be a more time consuming fix. I'll have to check this out later. My main concern is that water is leaking against the fascia.
 
...I think when they installed, they may have not angled the gutters properly so that water is possibly ponding in the corner. That might be a more time consuming fix. I'll have to check this out later. My main concern is that water is leaking against the fascia.
We paid big bucks years ago to have seamless gutters installed at our house in LA. There were some long straight runs, and when I had the original estimate done, I made it clear to the estimator that they needed slope those runs to be sure everything drained. He assured me they were pros and knew what they were doing. (I spent some years as a civil construction inspector, and know how important proper drainage and slope is on everything from roofs to paving.)

Turns out the guy who installed our gutters was clueless. He didn't even have a level with him. He simply attached the gutter to the fascia (which was pretty much dead level) with the exception of the corners, which he installed lower than the straight runs. :doh: I called the company back twice to fix the problem...the second time the owner showed up and tried to convince me that LA doesn't get much rain, so they don't worry about the gutter slope. They figured whatever water didn't make it to the downspouts would eventually evaporate. :bang:
 
Thanks all. Good points. I'll definitely protect the fascia in the interim with the metal flashing. If anyone wants to start a gutter business in Hilo, Hawaii; lots of opportunity. It's difficult to find people who can fix and install gutters.
 
I just removed all the gutters off my house... it's difficult for me to keep them clean as I'm less than steady on a ladder, plus don't have one high enough to reach them... we have 3 big maple trees across the front and all the propellers off them every spring landed in the gutters... by mid summer we had a forest growing in the gutters.... the roof extends enough off the faciaboards that it's not much of a problem... plus when I lived in Houston, one of the local contractors did not recommend gutters on houses at all.... I have gravel in the walkway and yard on the back side of the house, the front has bushes under one side of the front and rocks under the other side, plus the porch roof is gabled at 90 degrees and drops on rocks one the one side and on the front steps on the other... don't find it to be a problem.
 
I've used a product called Poly Seam Seal on my gutter joints, applied to the inside of the joint after cleaning them up. It stays very flexible for years and does a great job. For gutter corners where they catch the water from the roof valleys, I made some 2" tall guards about a foot long on each side of the gutter corner, out of white flashing, with a 1/2" lip bent toward the house along each bottom edge. I then attached the lip to the top front edge of the gutter with aluminum pop rivets. My previous house needed 4 of them. At my present house, none.

Here at this house I have a lot of trees, and keeping the gutters clean was a constant problem. I ended up buying some plastic gutter covers from Lowes that slip up under the shingles and extend out and snap over the front lip of the gutters. There is a slot in these covers which allows the water to go into the gutter, but the flat and smooth top surface causes all of the leaves, and even most of the pine needles, to just slide over the slot and fall to the ground. They cost about $2/ft but were much cheaper than changing the gutters out for Gutter Guard or any other of the water/leaf separator brands of gutters on the market. I've had them in use for about 15 years now, and haven't needed to clean my gutters since installing them.

Charley
 
The corners of the gutter are installed at the corners of the roof. With their help, the drainage system bends around the corners of the building itself, which helps form a full-fledged drainage system that will look harmoniously with the roof and facade. If the corners of the gutter are installed incorrectly or of poor quality, then problems similar to yours appear. Therefore, it is important to contact professional roofers when repairing and replacing any roof elements.
 
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