A leaky gutter may seem a minor fault at first sight, but over time can cause serious damage to the facade of the house and implicitly to the inside of your home.
The most vulnerable are the buildings in areas with many rainfalls. When rains intermittently, water flows down the façade of your house, if you have leaky gutters, even finding its way inside of your home through the cracks.
These leaks usually occur at junctions between downspouts and gutters or between two gutter sections. Old and worn metal gutters, especially those made of steel, can corrode until the appearance of leaks.
The solution is to replace them with new ones, but if you want to save some money then maybe their repair is a viable solution. However, to patch a gutter leak is quite simple and easy operation and if the repair is well executed, gutters can last for many years to come.
Materials & Tools
– Metal Flashing; Gutter Patch (or Cartridge and Asphalt Flashing Cement);
– Ladder; Gloves; Gun and Caulking Cartridge; Utility Knife;
– Abrasive Pad (Steel Wood); Putty Knife; Metal Snips; Metal Brush;
– Paint Thinner; Rags;
Steps:
1| First, clean thoroughly your gutters. Remove all the dead leaves, dirt and debris and wash your home gutters using a garden house and a metal brush. Wear gloves to protect your hands from sharp metal edges.
2| You can find more than only one damaged area. However, the best idea is to fix them one by one.
3| Measure the corroded area and use metal snips to cut a patch from metal flashing. Metal snips or tin snips are similar with scissors but they can cut a metal sheet.
4| Make sure your patch is larger than the affected area. Moisten a piece of clean cloth in paint thinner and degrease the affected area. Allow enough time to dry.
5| Take the putty knife and apply a thin layer of gutter patch or asphalt flashing cement on the back of the metal patch. Also, apply caulking on the damaged area and spread it using the putty knife.
6| Press gently but firm the metal patch into place using a piece of rag to protect your hand skin from caulking.
NOTE: You should know that gutter patch (asphalt flashing cement) is quite difficult to clean off your hand skin without solvents, so it is much better to use gloves or a piece of rag, for your protection.
7| Smooth the caulking that oozes out with your gloved finger.
8| When the leaks occur at connections between two gutter sections, the best approach is to remove the section with the leak. In this way, you can fix easier the leak and when the job is done, you can reassemble back the gutter section. But before that clean the jointing surfaces and caulk the mating surfaces.
Increase the Soundproofing of Your Living Space with YTONG (howtobuildahouseblog.com)
