Install Vinyl Rain Gutters

Gutters, or eavestroughs, are an important part of your home's "water management system" that helps keep moisture out of your basement. Proper drainage and correct grading of your property are the other components. Gutters can be made of all kinds of materials like steel and aluminum, or even unique (and expensive) things such as copper. No matter what they are made from, gutters are designed to capture water running off your roof and direct it away from your foundation.

Vinyl gutters can do a fine job of channeling water, and have some added advantages in that they're inexpensive and can be installed by the average homeowner (hopefully with at least one helper).


Designing your Gutter System

In order to catch the water running off your roof, gutters need to be positioned so that the edge of your roof is approximately over the middle of the gutter. When the gutter is positioned there, it should catch any water coming off the roof, whether it's streaming off as a result of a big downpour, or barely trickling off from a shower. Gutters also need to be sloped slightly from end to end, so water will flow downhill to the downspout and eventually away from your home.

Figure out how you want your gutters to direct the water flow; this will determine the specific pieces of gutter connectors you'll need. It's a good idea to have the downspout emptying onto a hard surface like a driveway that's already sloped to drain water away. You don't want to have the water gong into a naturally low spot, and you probably don't want to direct it towards you neighbor's foundation, either.

Measure your roof. Vinyl gutters generally come in 10-foot sections. Combine this measurement with your layout to determine the specific pieces you will need for your job.

Installing the Gutters

Start at the end of the gutter away form the downspout location and measure down 1/2 inch (or the distance recommended by your gutter manufacturer) and make a mark. Move to the downspout end and measure down the same distance and mark it. These two marks should be level with each other.

Remember, gutters need to slope downhill, so at the downspout end, measure down from your mark 1/16" for every foot of run (or 5/8" for every 10 feet) and mark that position. Snap a chalk line between the lower mark (at the downspout end) and the single mark at the far end. The chalk line will be your reference line for installing the gutter components.

Working from your ladder, install the components of the gutter system - corners and drop outlets (be sure this is at the lower end of the run). Also install the mounting brackets or hangers, positioned every 24 or 30 inches (follow your manufacturer's specifications). Be sure to use rust resistant screws and align the components with your reference line.

Snap individual sections of the gutter into the hangers and join the sections with connectors. Again, follow your manufacturer's directions to allow for expansion and contraction of the vinyl. Use a hacksaw to cut sections to lengths less than 10' when needed to finish a run.

Install elbows to the bottom of the drop outlet, then measure, cut and install sections of downspout to the base of the drop outlet and fasten it securely to the side of the house. Another elbow and a short section of downspout directing the water flow away from your foundation will complete your installation.

Murray Anderson is an experienced freelance writer with articles published in both the United States and Canada. He has written on a wide range of topics, but specializes in home maintenance and how to's.