Submitted by HomeOnTheMountain_ t3_10a4qf1 in vermont
I've heard rain gutters get ripped down by snow around here, but uh...well, you know how the weather's been. Anyone have any hard-no reasons for installing them?
Comments
HomeOnTheMountain_ OP t1_j424b95 wrote
Excellent, thank you
zonitronic t1_j42399w wrote
If your roof does not have a good overhang that effectively moves the water away from your foundation, then gutters may be part of that solution. Ultimately, your goal is to get the water away from your house: Sloping the land down away from your foundation is the first/ideal choice; French drains and other ground gutter systems are also other options... My old gutters used to get ripped off a lot because I used to have a bad insulation system in my roof and eaves: Ice dams build up at your roof edges and gutters and eventually the weight rips your gutters off. My "new" gutters are 7 years old now and still look like I just installed them because I also now have a standing seam roof with a ridge vent and properly installed insulation that allows a "cold gap" along the inside of the roof: Snow on the roof doesn't melt quick enough to form ice dams and slides off under its own weight... BONUS: Don't have to rake my roof anymore either.
TL/DR: If your present roof surface and roof insulation promotes the buildup of ice at the roof edges, you will regularly have to repair/ replace your gutters and eaves.
Edit: Grammar.
gcubed680 t1_j43now6 wrote
I ended up doing an underground roof system. Dug 3’ around my foundation where my roof dumps water, put in foam board covered by ice shield sloped away from the house. Took me a few days in the summer and a lot of beer for recovery, but it’s the first time my old stacked stone basement hasn’t had puddles after heavy rain
Jerry_Williams69 t1_j42f9or wrote
I was about to say all the same stuff
escobert t1_j420y1g wrote
Mine do get ripped down but I like them over the stairs on my porch.
HomeOnTheMountain_ OP t1_j421ddj wrote
Is it a pain to repair?
escobert t1_j42379s wrote
Not too bad. Occasionally I'll have to buy a new hanger or something. Usually it's just smacking a few nails back in. I wouldn't screw them in, the screws will hold better but are more apt to cause the plastic to straight up break or take wood with them when they go. Nails will just get pulled out for the most part.
HappilyhiketheHump t1_j42757f wrote
Metal roof, no gutters for you.
Well insulated shingle roof, gutters no problem.
Poorly insulated shingle roof, gutters will work but expect some ice damage occasionally, especially when in the valleys.
jonnyredshorts t1_j428l6p wrote
why no gutters for a metal roof?
HappilyhiketheHump t1_j42a6e1 wrote
Snow slides off in large, heavy sheets and pulls the gutters right off. Metal diverters should be installed over doorways alleviating the need for gutters. If you wanted to put bars on an entire metal roof to hold the snow on, in theory you could then have gutters. That’s not very practical.
jonnyredshorts t1_j42g0q8 wrote
Ive seen gutters installed on homes with metal roofs...seems like they are usually a couple inches below the roof line, allowing snow to slide off and not hit the gutter, while rain will still be caught by them...
meinblown t1_j42iys7 wrote
If the gutters are too low they will do nothing for a downpour.
jonnyredshorts t1_j42tul7 wrote
I’d be far more concerned that the snow would tear them off when it releases off the standing seam roof...Water on the other hand tends to drop pretty much vertical off the edge of the roof, and into the gutters...there’s a sweet spot where sliding snow will pass over the top of the gutter, but liquid water will drop right into them. I’m just trying to get a read on what that distance is.
illusivealchemist t1_j42uskf wrote
I never have had issues with my metal roof and gutters and snowguards. But when we went from regular shingle to metal last year, we needed all new gutters bc of the way the roof was installed and the way the gutters (new ones) need to sit. Everything looks great now - our gutters are a lot less noticeable now and i love it lol
zonitronic t1_j43372s wrote
Agreed. Metal seam and new gutters for seven years now; gutters set right and proper roof ventilation has meant zero problems.
meinblown t1_j42itt0 wrote
Snow load go slidey slide!
illusivealchemist t1_j42uflv wrote
I have a metal roof and gutters. They are installed in a special/different way that tucks them under from damage but you still should have gutters.
Gilashot t1_j428qfs wrote
I don’t get it either. Possibly because of the abundance of metal roofs. Snow guards on a metal roof pretty much eliminate damage to your gutters though.
Meow_Meow_4_Life t1_j431e3d wrote
Those are the spaced L brackets that are glued on? Can you overload a roof weight capacity since the snow can't slide off?
Gilashot t1_j43620p wrote
Mine screw onto the roof purlins. https://www.midmichiganmetalsales.com/product/snow-defender-4500-color-powder-coated-snow-guard/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA_P6dBhD1ARIsAAGI7HDv_pUL8_W4YSVWS29T3oNJ8bLpUfGrWFRLWTc7UNB7bZjrGK8F8LoaAjUfEALw_wcB
They don’t necessarily hold all of the snow on the roof all winter. They mainly just prevent huge overhangs from dumping off all at once. To enable still slowly comes off, just a little at a time.
Meow_Meow_4_Life t1_j4q9e1n wrote
Thanks so much
GrubSprings t1_j43wayu wrote
For many houses, the gutters will save your siding big time by eliminating the backsplash.
HomeOnTheMountain_ OP t1_j43wrjr wrote
Yep that's mostly what inspired the thought. We're getting ready to touch up some old cedar siding and I want to keep it in good condition. There's some obvious backsplash areas around the house so, might be worth funneling it away
happyonthehill802 t1_j423ba5 wrote
What material is your roof, what's the pitch, and do you have the ability to install and maintain gutters yourself?
Kitchen_Nail_6779 t1_j42v377 wrote
You've heard wrong.
Hyroponic t1_j45l5i3 wrote
Our gutters are great. We have leaf traps and no problem with cleaning and a whole lot better than drip, drip, drip. Love them, with the small extra.
[deleted] t1_j425mk3 wrote
[deleted]
Decweb t1_j43pmi3 wrote
Unless you have no other way to get water away from your house, IMO, gutters are nothing but a pain. In any state. On any house. They clog in the winter with ice, they clog in the fall with leaves, you have to clean them every year, longer spouts at the bottom get knocked about. Eventually they start to fall apart, especially if you don't clean them and maintain the woodwork on which they're mounted.
Grade your land accordingly or install drainage around the house. Life is better without gutters.
Severe-Board7639 t1_j46glwl wrote
I’ve never had my gutters get ripped down even when I had poorly installed gutters (from the last owner). When we get a ton of snow or heavy snow I just use a snow rake to pull the bottom couple feet of snow off so that it doesn’t build up on the gutters.
zombienutz1 t1_j46nsl1 wrote
I put up the cheap-o plastic gutters and brackets from Lowes 10+ years ago and have yet to have an issue. They fill with ice and snow but I spaced the brackets fairly close together so that helps.
Taywerr t1_j4c1n5b wrote
The weather will hit hard around February and March trust me its like this every year.
HomeOnTheMountain_ OP t1_j4c34vz wrote
Mm... No the weather is not like this every year. I think we're well into the "exceptional weather" territory for this year.
Taywerr t1_j4c6ncs wrote
Well I hope you're right, I hate the snow 😭
meatpopsicle42 t1_j423zr1 wrote
I’ve installed plenty of gutters here in Vermont. If they’re installed correctly, in the correct place (i.e. accounting for slope and overhang), and snow load is considered, then they stay up just fine.