Gutters are supposed to protect your property from water damage by diverting water away from your home. In this sense, a properly functioning gutter system protects your home and its foundation from any related water and moisture damage. Gutters serve by collecting rainwater flowing off the roof and directing it into the downspouts. This way, water is directed away from the house’s foundation. However, regular gutter cleaning is a must to have a perfectly functioning gutter system. Otherwise, debris, dirt, and leaves will collect in the gutters and cause blockage, preventing water from flowing through the pipes properly. In this regard, you should maintain a regular gutter cleaning to protect your home from damage caused by a functionless gutter system.
Although there is no way out from regular gutter cleaning, which requires attention and plenty of time, there is an escape way that will ease your gutter cleaning and reduce the time you spend on the job. Since gutters are horizontal tubes open at the top, they are exposed to all kinds of dirt, making them available to be blocked easily. Instead of continually checking your gutters’ conditions, you may prefer a gutter protection system, i.e., gutter guards.
Gutter guards work as a shield over your gutters by protecting the entire gutter system from blockage caused by all kinds of debris. In the interest of brevity, gutter guards protect your gutters’ condition so that your gutter system can keep your property safe from water damage.
Depending on the way they function, the types of gutter guards vary. Also, the kind of gutter system may require a specific gutter guard. One of those that need a particular gutter protection system is half-round gutters.
What is a Half-Round Gutter?
As resembling a tube cut in half, half-round gutters do not have flat sides. Although this feature makes it a bit harder to install half-round gutters, half-round gutters effectively wash debris out of the pipes, thanks to the smoothness of the inside structure. In this sense, the possibility of corrosion is reduced with half round gutters. Besides, its formation makes it easier to keep clean and maintained.
This gutter system is especially preferred for older buildings because they are a better match for the style of these structures. Other than historic houses, they are also preferable for places with rounded rooflines. There are many different color alternatives for half-round gutters, which make them a perfect complement to the architectural structure of your home. Moreover, half-round gutters come with various materials, from copper to zinc-coated metal.
Apart from their advantages, it would help if you also kept in mind that half-round gutters are a bit more costly when compared with, for instance, K-style gutter systems. Also, their installation may require effort and time. If you prefer professional installation, it will become more expensive. However, their historical appearance and efficient functionality make them a tempting alternative for homeowners. If you plan to purchase half round gutters for your home or make them more durable and practical, you should also consider half-round gutter guards.
Why Do You Need Half-Round Gutter Guards?
If you adore the half-round gutters’ historic elegance, you should also keep in mind having half-round gutter guards. Since the half-round gutter has a specific design, its guard system should be produced accordingly. For this reason, many of the guard options get ruled out because they will not fit half-round gutters. This is why half-round gutter guards get involved. Maybe, you still are in a quandary about having half-round gutter guards. If there is such a case, it might be better to remind the advantages of a gutter protection system suitable for your half-round gutters briefly:
- Well-chosen gutter guards keep your property safe from water damage by preventing the gutter system from being blocked by leaves, debris, and even animal nests.
- They add years to the life of your gutter system by protecting it from damage caused by the blockage.
- They decrease the time you spend for cleaning your gutters and also make the job easier.
- They are easy to install and available in various sizes, amongst which you can find suitable ones for your gutters.
In light of these, you will probably finalize your decision about having gutter guards. Still, if you avoid spending more money, you may think about balancing your expense by installing your half round gutters by yourself. This way, you will have the money you spared for professional gutter installation and use it for purchasing half-round gutter guards. Keep reading to learn how to install half-round gutters by yourself.
Half-Round Gutter Installation
If you do not plan to get a professional gutter installation service, you need to learn everything you will need for installation to have a well-functioning gutter system. But first things first! You should be confident that you took every safety measure that you should have. For instance, you should ensure that you have a sturdy ladder, appropriate clothing, equipment suitable for the job, and last but not least, a helper who will watch over you while you are working on the ladder. Once you make sure that you are ready to install your half round gutters safely, you should follow the below steps to do the job properly:
- Place the hangers in the right spots: Half round gutter hangers are to be mounted so that the gutter can sit below the extended roofline. You may need to make adjustments throughout this process until the gutter sits perfectly. Hangers should be evenly spaced, and they should avoid the outlet tubes that connect the gutter to the downspouts.
- Hang the sections and bring them together: Firstly, you should notch the edges of gutter sections with aviation snips. Secondly, cut each piece with a miter saw. Then, make sure that the pieces fit each other. To join the sections, do not try to bring all of them together on the ground to hang them at once. This may damage the gutter and, more importantly, may cause accidents. Instead, install one side of the slip connector on the ground and then join the other end with the hanged gutter. Connect the pieces with pop rivets and drill each pilot hole inside the gutter.
- Locate the downspouts: The locating of the downspouts should start at the bottom where the water will exit. Make your measurement by placing the downspout parallel to the building corner. After making all the adjustments, remove the temporarily placed gutter back on the ground.
- Connect the downspouts: Downspouts require hangers with extended standoffs, so you should mount the hangers so that they can hold downspouts. Before permanently connecting all the pieces, you should test-fit the assembled downspout to ensure that hanger standoffs are appropriately adjusted, and the downspout perfectly matches the hole for the outlet tube.
- Install the downspouts: You need an outlet tube to make the transition from the horizontal gutter to the vertical downspout. After completing the adjustment process, secure the outlet tube by applying gutter cement to create a strong connection. Once you position the outlet tube correctly, install the downspout and secure the straps holding the downspout. You may clean the pencil marks and fingerprints with a non-abrasive cleaner.
Now that you have all the information you need to install your own half round gutters, you can get the job done with the help of a friend! Speaking of DIY gutter installation, you may also consider having half round gutter guards to place over your gutters. This way, you can feel confident that you have done everything to protect your property from water damage caused by a blockage in your drains.
If you wish to learn more about gutters and gutter guards, you may read the following blog posts:
Replacing Damaged Gutter Guards
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