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The fascia board behind this gutter was the main cause of failure, rot from trapped moisture. The backs of gutters (even aluminum) are barely higher than the front, so water spills both ways if the leaders become restricted of if the gutter is excessively pitched. |
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This photo shows why wood gutters need to be spaced away form fascia boards for drying. In the old days wood gutters were attached directly to the rafter ends and fascia boards were installed above and below the gutter eliminating this problem. |
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This replacement wood gutter was poorly installed. It should have rested on the rafter notches as I'm sure the original did. That would have made it nice and straight. The green and black staining on the front of these wood gutters is from repeated overflows. Notice how much cleaner the pushed up central section is that cannot overflow. If the front top edge of this wooden gutter had a "drip" it would stay nice and clean. |
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Look how much this gutter is pushed it up in the middle of the span. Over pitched gutters hold less water and overflow at the low ends often. Plumbers pitch pipes to slurry the waste. Moving debris in gutters to the leaders creates unwanted blockage so there is a second reason to minimize pitch. Even a dead level gutter will drain. |
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Notice the nice straight line on the back of this wooden gutter, that is the level water line. This mark was made from floating pollen. Any more water added above this line will spill over at the other lower end. Also, who ever installed this gutter covered the outside of this large gap joint with lead to hide their poor workmanship. This helped trap moisture and the result was rot. |
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So about half the length of gutter was robbed of its carrying capacity by over pitching it. Pitch is not necessary for drainage. Shoving water to the end of the gutter faster than the draining leader can keep up is not desirable. A pitch of no more than 1 inch over 40 feet is recommended. Here we have ~2 inches over 20 feet. |
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2nd story wood gutters are generally self cleaning by periodic strong winds. But this home resides under too large a canopy of trees. A guard will be a must here in helping keep these gutters clear to maintain their holding capacity. Being this high up, everything that can be done to minimize needed maintenance is a must (as it will most likely be neglected). |
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There are no store bought gutter guards that snap into wood gutters. Buy ripping a saw blade kerf at a 25° angle in the fascia above the back of the gutter, this vinyl guard will be held in by strong tension. The added wood nose piece gives a nice ogee profile to the wood gutter, It widens the gutter so the guard does not hang over, And best of all it will form a "drip" preventing water from drooling down the face of the gutter staining it over time. |
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The rafter tails were also found wet from trapped moisture. They were allowed to dry out while picking up a new 41' gutter and prepping it for installation. Once dry, a wire wheel was used to remove dirt and loose wood fibers. |
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A blast from a 160mph leaf blower while probing the older nails holes with a 4 1/2" screw finished the job. Geocel's 50yr tripolymer sealant was used to prevent these decorative rafter tails from any future wetting. |
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The roofers were oblivious that their 1 1/2" nails would bulletize the underside of the roof sheathing on the open overhang on this home. With the gutter removed now is the opportune time to grind off all these nails. |
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Wood gutters from the lumber yard are generally grain raised and very dirty if they have been sitting around a long time. Luckily this one was freshly milled with no checks (cracks). Sanding and dusting is the only way to guarantee the finish will adhere well. |
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Capping the wood gutter ends with these 20oz copper end caps will ensure the decorative end rafters suffer no further water damage. They were sealed with Geocel's liquid rubber and 3/4" copper tacks. |
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The wood gutter was cut out and mortised to receive these custom made copper leaders on the ground before installation. In a bygone era leaders were installed like this one. As debris collect in a wood gutter the leaders will only become partially blocked if they exit the back like this one. |
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This one piece, 41' wood gutter, is on its way to being installed. It was purchased from L. Sweet Lumber Company in Providence RI. |
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The straight grain semi-hardwood will spit if a fastener is just driven in. Pre-drilling and countersinking prevents this. Water enters deep into wood through cracks and becomes trapped leading to premature rot. |
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Installing the custom made 2x3 copper leaders embedded in Geocel's sealant. Guaranteed adhesion, try getting this stuff off your skin, wet or dry. |
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Most wood rots where there are penetrations. So pushing this sealant into this end grain provides insurance against rot should water ever get underneath this leader. |
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The highly rot resistant western red cedar fascia boards were beveled 10° to match the back of the wood gutter. This gives a tight seal. Notice how dirty this metal drip edge is. That implies that roof runoff follows it (see the photo below actual proof). The purpose of todays metal drip edge is to provide support for the asphalt roofing shingles while they project a couple of inches beyond the fascia. Unlike wood or slate, asphalt shingles sag and droop without support. |
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This seam along the back of the wood gutter and fascia was embedded with Geocel's tripolymer sealant. In the old days the fascia board was a 1/4" thicker with a rabbit that went over the back of the gutter and down some. Water is insidious and will get through such a rabbited joint without sealant when the gutter is full to capicity. Without the rabbit, the joint can be made tight visually as shown here. Water follows the metal drip edge, so by pulling it out the water will drip directly into the gutter and not run down the fascia and over the fascia/gutter seam. |
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With installation complete, purposely clogging the leader outlets will test the gutter for straightness. The entire gutter fills with no low points. Whenever it overflows due to obstructed leaders or piping it will spill along its entire length as if the house had no gutter. It is also now apparent in this photo that the metal drip edge directed rain water to the back of the old gutter shortening its life. |
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The custom wood drip added to the nose of the standard wood gutter is working as intended. Water drips clear and does not run down the face of the gutter and therefore will remain clean. Two days later the heaviest possible thunder storm was handled nicely by this 4x5" wood gutter. It did not overflow and maintained its entire length about 80% filled while the downspouts gushed like fire hoses. Those that say a wood gutter cannot hold enough water, that only aluminum gutters do, are miss guided. |
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This part of the drip edge is basacially unnecessary and is being removed. It was pulled out all the way to make it easier to get at with a metal grinder. Now there nothing for the water to follow and it drips directly from the edge of the (still supported) asphalt roofing (into the center of the wood gutter). |
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This vinyl gutter guard has horizontal ridges to impede the water from just flowing over it in a rain storm and off the front of the gutter. Anything that falls through these 5/16" holes will wash down the leaders in a heavy rain. What a nice clean look without that metal drip edge. This is what a slate roof projection looks like. The cut off part of the drip edge could be seen from the ground and would have become filthy over time. |
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Now for the glorification, paint. After caulking all the seams where the rafter tail ends meet the wood gutter and fascia to seal for water entry. And waiting one day for curing, the open soffit area was pressure washed prior to painting. All this decorative open overhang can be seen from inside the house through the 2nd story windows. |
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A third and final coat of Geocel's brushable clear liquid rubber. Its hard to tell if any spots are missed so being attentive and methodical helps insure complete coverage. A third coat gives added insurance and protection. |
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A wooden drip edge beveled 30° is installed. This will keep that metal drip edge the next roofing installers apply away from the fascia and maintain the existing overhang. |
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also, in the thunderstorm downpour it was noticed how the water was ponding at the front of the gutter. So the wood gutter guard was modified with added drain holes. |
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