preparations for gutter installation (shingle adjustments?, painting facia?)
About five years ago, a carpenter replaced and shimmed some shingles around the perimeter of my roof, which has a much lower pitch than the upper part. In the areas he revised, water had been clinging to the shingles and hugging the facia, resulting in dark streaks and even some damage. The work was successful, enabling the water to drip off the tips of the shingles properly. However, the problem has returned in some areas. (Or perhaps it was not successful in those areas; I don’t remember checking.)
I wish to have about 25 feet of guttering installed. I understand that the gutters will be pushed up behind the drip edge and fastened just beneath it. Assuming the shingles are sound despite needing to be shimmed, would it be unnecessary to shim them where the gutters will be installed? As I understand it, water will not contact the facia but will simply hug the inside of the gutter.
I would also like to know if it is necessary to paint the facia before the gutters are installed. The areas that would be covered are quite intact with a high end gloss paint, even though it was applied fifteen years ago. (The area receives only a small amount of UV in the mornings. This is central Louisiana, with virtually no freeze-thaw cycles.)
Your thoughts will be much appreciated.
Replies
Back years ago, a row of wood shingles was often used for a starting course under asphalt shingles on the eaves of a roof, they also served as kind of a drip edge. They would be left protruding beyond the edge of the roof 1/2" or less so water would drip beyond the fascia and not down it. Later on, pre-bent metal drip edge became the norm and wood shingles stopped being used. They were not used as shims.
Rain is going to bounce and drops will hit everything, inside and outside a gutter. The fascia should be painted and in good condition. At least some water is bound to find it's way behind the gutters. The more resistent to water penetration, the better, so make sure the fascia is nicely painted before installing gutters. Eventually, the gutters will have to come down and the fascia repaired and/or repainted. Gutters capture the bulk of the water collected by the roof and this can be diverted away from the close perimeter of the house where the excess water may leak into foundations as well as cause freezing of the ground close to the foundation. Even in warm climates, you don't want all that water going into the ground directly around your house.
There are quite a few different gutter systems and means of hanging them. I haven't seen them in awhile but there used to be a system where the gutters attached to the metal drip edge. This meant there was no space between the gutter and drip edge for water to get behind. The majority of gutters use some type of hanger and getting the gutters installed with no space between them and the fascia isn't possible. Roofers use the metal drip edges and allow the shingle to protrude a little past the drip edge. This helps divert most of the roof water into the gutters and reduces the amount that may get behind the gutters. You still have bounce and splash. If gutters have some space behind, moisture has an easy way out and air can circulate. If moisture is trapped behind tight to the fascia gutters, without enough circulation, you can get early rotting of the fascia.
This is my original comment, more or less
You have brought me back to my senses regarding guttering. I was about to be seduced by a salesman who had nearly convinced me that HIS gutters would not damage the facia. In the past, I witnessed incredible guttering damage to this very house, and the gutters had been kept pretty clean.
Do you think the type of guttering that attaches only to the drip edge (do I have that right?) would be worth having if it could be found? From what you say, it seems like water could get behind that also, just not as much.
What you wrote about shingles is also quite interesting. Since the wooden shingles are no longer used around the edges, is streaking of water now considered a non-issue? What do you think, personally? Should I try to get the problem fixed?
Many thanks.
(I posted this after my first comment, but I wasn't sure you would see it there. I'll try to delete the duplicate post. I am new to this forum, obviously.)
New?
Welcome to Breaktime
don't be discouraged and do come back.
the kind that hangs from a drip edge
has a couple drawbacks:
sometimes it isn't really a drip edge, it's a strip with a hem in it that slips up behind the drip edge, the back hem of the gutter locks into it and hangs from it, advantage is you can pitch the gutter a little.
the kind that is hanger/drip edge, requires installing a level gutter, so you need downspouts that are closer together or you need oversized gutters ( 6" instead of 4" )
sounds like what you really want to do is strip the bottom courses of your roof, install a reall drip edge, and some ice& water, then hang your gutters
or.... forget the gutters.... 90% of our houses have no gutters.. we take care of the water by run off , landscaping and foundation drains
a lot of homes in snow country have no gutters because they can't keep them on with the ice and snow
I thought I had a real drip edge. It's a piece of metal in the shape of a lopsided T. One wing extends about 3 inches under the shingles (I saw this 15 yrs ago when roof was replaced). The outer wing is about an inch, and the "post" extends about an inch down the facia.
You got me with "add some ice & water." A little joke, I guess. I grew up in the north. I know what you mean about problems with guttering there. We used to have heater wires on our roof to melt the ice.
I actually detest guttering in every respect. The problem is, I have a fire-hose-like cascade from a valley in the corner of my patio. The water hits the cement floor and splashes up on a door that is quite close by. Other woodwork gets hit, too, but the door is the main problem.
Originally, I asked the gutter salesman if he could make a large basin (I forget what the right word is instead of basin) plus a rain chain to place at the bottom of the valley. He said he does stuff like that, but when he came over he recommended standard guttering. He sells 5" seamless aluminum gutters.
I am thinking the basin/rain chain idea is better, or even just a short low wall protecting the door from the splash.
I finally measured the roof. I believe the bottom is 2/12 pitch. I think it could use a professional inspection. Dark lines on the facia might not be the only problem. This might be what you are thinking also -- ?
Many thanks.
preparations for gutter installation
Yes, there is a metal drip edge as old as the house (36 years). My carpenter was attempting to get the tips of the asphalt shingles to serve as the actual drip edge, however. He succeeded in most areas.
After seeing the next reply and observing the splashing of water everywhere myself, I begin to wonder if the streaks here and there are merely an aesthetic nuissance of no danger to the facia.
I estimate the pitch to be about 15 degrees for the bottom six feet. We'll see how far off I am at sunset, when I can take a closer look. Trust me, I would never have a house built with this low a pitch anywhere!
Thank you for your thoughtful reply. I worked hard on a comment, only to have it eaten when I hit "Post." I'll have to redo it later (on MS Word first, of course).
deleted duplicate post
deleted duplcate post
I think I need to measure again. The roof perimeter has not performed anything like what you have described.
I need to add memory to my computer in order to support my basic digital camera. I have been putting it off, because the inside of the console undoubtedly needs cleaning and the best method is not clear to me. (Geeks have too much fun prescribing various tongue-in-cheek ways to do it.)
When I finally get the above done, I plan to come back with correct measurement and a picture or two.
Wow, I didn't know about that monster edging!
Thanks for introducing me to Grant Logan.
Preparation for gutter installation
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thanks.