RAIN GUTTERS BUYING GUIDE

Rain gutters handle a critical task: routing the runoff from your roof to proper drainage away from the house. By doing this, they keep your house high and dry, protecting the fascia, walls, paint, windows, doors, and foundation from water damage.

Though most gutters are installed on existing roofs, adding them during building construction simplifies installation and if you’re thinking about renovation your timing couldn’t be better.
Both do-it-yourself and professionally installed gutters are available. You can buy do-it-yourself gutter systems made of PVC. Or you can have professional gutter companies install any of numerous types of gutters from PVC to Aluminum, Copper gutters and more.
What type of gutters and Installation system should you choose for your house? The following information will help you sort through the options.

Rain Gutter Sizes & Profiles

Gutters are formed in several profiles and sizes. The standard profiles are a simple “U” shape (half round), box (square) and “K” style,(which has an ogee-shaped front vaguely resembling the letter “K.”)

 

 

The gutter channels are 4, 5, 6 or 7 inches in diameter; downspouts are 2-by-3-inch or 3-by-4-inch rectangular profiles or 3- or 4-inch round (often corrugated) pipes.

5-inch K-style gutter is the most common type, and is used in 95% of all installations and works for sloped roofs of all types (shingles, metal, slate, etc). 5-inch K-style gutters typically use 2×3 downspouts.
6-inch K-style and Box gutters are used for higher volume of water runoff to a single point (typically on flat roofs) or larger commercial buildings. 6-inch gutters typically use 3×4 downspouts, to accommodate higher volume of water.

K-style gutters have twice the capacity of the half-round gutter of the same width, making them appealing for homes in cities with heavy annual rainfall. K-style gutter systems remain the industry standard because of the elegant shape resembling interior crown molding.

 

Rain Gutter Price Variation

Gutter cost will vary depending on the type of materials, installation method (DIY or professional installation), the gutter company and your location.
You can read more about cost of gutter materials here: https://raincache.ng/blog/types-of-gutters-and-costs/ 

 

DO-IT-YOURSELF GUTTERS INSTALLATION

If you’re planning to install your own gutters, DIY PVC gutters may be your best bet. Generally it can be installed by homeowners with moderate skills and tools, you virtually just plug the entire system together. DIY PVC gutters are available online and comes with silicone gaskets that compress to form tight, leak-proof seals. PVC doesn’t rust or rot, but it can become brittle over the years and crack when the weather is harsh. PVC tends to deteriorate from exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays and you may need to replace the whole systems in less than 5 years.
PVC gutters are relatively inexpensive at N1, 000 per meter, but you must factor in the cost of accessories/fittings, which push the overall price per lineal meter up a bit.
The biggest downside to DYI gutter installation is that they are sold in sections and 99% of homeowners would not be able to install them properly. These tend to leak a lot more and faster, compared to seamless ones. So while you will save initially, you also have to consider that you will have gutter repair costs in the future. It is also possible that full replacement may become necessary as quickly as in 2-3 years.

                                PVC GUTTER 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you plan to have gutters professionally installed, please call 0815894218 for a free estimate or use our quote calculator >> https://raincache.ng/quote/

 

Professionally Installed Gutters

The best of installed gutters are seamless, which are custom-fashioned right on-site. Metals such as Aluminum, copper and stainless-steel are generally chosen for high-end installations. And though wood is rarely used anymore, architectural purists will opt for it. Here we take a look at the Aluminum gutters, you can read more on other materials here.

 

WOODEN GUTTER

 

 

 

 

 

 

ALUMINUM RAIN GUTTERS

Aluminum are the most cost-effective and popular choice of homeowners. In fact, over 90% of professional installs are with aluminum gutters. Their biggest advantage is that they will not rust! Moreover, they are lightweight and highly efficient at carrying water away from your house. If installed well, Aluminum will last more than 60 years.

Aluminum gutters are available in a range of thicknesses, including .032, .027, and .025 inches. It is recommended to choose the thickest 0.032 material, as it’s a lot more durable. Also, be sure to get primary as opposed to secondary aluminum. It costs a little more, but offers more uniform consistency. Secondary aluminum is made from recycled aluminum scraps, and is typically not as strong and consistent.

Aluminum gutters cost from N5, 000 to N6, 500 per lineal meter installed. So, an average duplex of 72m in Nigeria will cost N386, 000 to install aluminum rain gutters.

RAIN GUTTER COMPONENTS
1. GUTTER
2. OUTLET
3. HANGER
4. OUTER MITRE
5. INNER MITRE
6. END CAP 
7. ELBOW
8. DOWNSPOUT
9. PIPE CLIP/BAND
10. GUSHER GUARD
11. SEALANT
12.HEX SCREW
13. ZIP SCREW
14. FLASHRUE
15. TOUCH UP PAINT
16. STRAP
17. SPLASH BLOCK

Gutter Component details in our next post

 

Rain Gutter Installation Tips

Please keep in mind that anyone can start a gutter business, so be sure to check references and get more than one bid. If one bid is considerably lower than another, check the gauge of the material, accessories list, other details and be sure they will follow standard installation procedures.

 

  1. It’s important that your installer installs gutters with proper slope. If drain outlet are above the low point of your gutters, water will stand, and soon you will get a small garden growing in there. The weight of standing water will eventually pull your gutter down.
  2. Be sure the installer will hang gutters along a chalk line, snapped to allow the proper slope of 1/4 inch for each 10 feet toward a drain outlet.
  3. One drain outlet assign to every 10 meters of gutters, That way, your new gutters will flow properly, look good, last long and add to the value of your house.
  4. Gutters are attached along a house’s eaves by any of several means, including straps, brackets, and hangers. We advise the use of hidden hangers and screw method. The hangers are screwed to the fascia- wooden, concrete (parapet) etc or the rafter tail. In a situation where there are no rafters or fascia to attach to, you have to use a strap.
  5. We discourage the use of binding wire or nail because, over the years, the binding wire will rust and break causing your gutter system to fail. Also nails/spikes [of a spike-and-ferrule hanger] tend to pull out as they split the fascia.

 

 

Best of luck with your project – please let us know in the comments below how much you ended up spending and the material used

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