"Emergency" eavestrough repair
May 24, 2013 11:56 AM Subscribe
Can I quickly repair eavestroughs in the rain?
It's raining pretty hard here and my eavestrough is leaking in the corner. It's low enough that I can reach it with a ladder, and I want to fix it ASAP because the soil is already pretty eroded and I know my basement has had minor leaks before in the same area.
I think the gutter is aluminum. What's the best way to repair it quickly? Google says roofing cement + a metal-repair patch. Can I fix it while it's raining? It's raining steadily here and will probably not let up for a few days, a "hard" rain for Calgary but probably nothing remarkable for less-arid areas of the continent.
It's raining pretty hard here and my eavestrough is leaking in the corner. It's low enough that I can reach it with a ladder, and I want to fix it ASAP because the soil is already pretty eroded and I know my basement has had minor leaks before in the same area.
I think the gutter is aluminum. What's the best way to repair it quickly? Google says roofing cement + a metal-repair patch. Can I fix it while it's raining? It's raining steadily here and will probably not let up for a few days, a "hard" rain for Calgary but probably nothing remarkable for less-arid areas of the continent.
JB Weld or something like it if you don't have it up there. If it's a large hole or weak, rusted spot, you can use JB Weld to weld another piece of metal or plastic over (or under) that spot.
posted by resurrexit at 12:01 PM on May 24, 2013
posted by resurrexit at 12:01 PM on May 24, 2013
Best answer: how is it leaking ? Is the drainage blocked ? Is it at a joint ? Is it worn out with a big hole ?
(Hard to tell unless you want to go out and get wet to inspect it).
But gutters, if they're spilling over and eroding dirt, usually implies a blockage (or strong "aimed" flow from a roof valley/junction). That said, corners where things are soldered together can fail, but they tend to be drip-drip-drip, not gushers.
posted by k5.user at 12:18 PM on May 24, 2013
(Hard to tell unless you want to go out and get wet to inspect it).
But gutters, if they're spilling over and eroding dirt, usually implies a blockage (or strong "aimed" flow from a roof valley/junction). That said, corners where things are soldered together can fail, but they tend to be drip-drip-drip, not gushers.
posted by k5.user at 12:18 PM on May 24, 2013
You could use plastic sheeting on the ground, weighted in place with rocks, to prevent erosion and route water away until the weather dries up and repair is easier.
posted by jon1270 at 12:23 PM on May 24, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by jon1270 at 12:23 PM on May 24, 2013 [1 favorite]
Put a big bucket or other container underneath it. You won't stop the water from hitting the area, but it will overflow out of the bucket more gently than when it was falling from the gutter.
posted by jquinby at 12:48 PM on May 24, 2013
posted by jquinby at 12:48 PM on May 24, 2013
Response by poster: It appeared to be leaking out of a seam that is facing downwards. It's right where two pieces join at 90 degrees. The seam is 45 degrees to each piece.
I had a giant Rubbermaid garbage can under it, and it filled up overnight, or at the most over a couple days. (Along with 4 bloated dead squirrels D:)
posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 1:33 PM on May 24, 2013
I had a giant Rubbermaid garbage can under it, and it filled up overnight, or at the most over a couple days. (Along with 4 bloated dead squirrels D:)
posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 1:33 PM on May 24, 2013
You might just be able to silicone caulk it then if it's a corner seam. But an epoxy product like JB Weld is a better long-term solution (or just a better solution since it's wet where you are and you have to get silicone right the first time since you can't put silicone on top of silicone).
posted by resurrexit at 1:57 PM on May 24, 2013
posted by resurrexit at 1:57 PM on May 24, 2013
You can buy eavestrough adhesive that will cure even when exposed to water; I got it at Canadian Tire when I had this problem a few years ago. Comes in a regular caulking tube.
posted by Mitheral at 2:21 PM on May 24, 2013
posted by Mitheral at 2:21 PM on May 24, 2013
Most roofing cement will say right on the tube that it can be used in wet conditions. Patch away. Just have a big wad of paper towels in your pocket, because it's physically impossible to apply roofing cement without getting some of it on you somewhere, and then it spreads...
posted by bricoleur at 5:54 PM on May 24, 2013
posted by bricoleur at 5:54 PM on May 24, 2013
Response by poster: It turns out that the crack wasn't the problem - water was overflowing because the slope is totally wrong, and (to a lesser extent) there was a small clog of leaves. With the leaves cleared it only spills over in heavy rain.
What sucks is that I can see holes where the gutters used to be screwed in, and some idiot previous owner or contractor either moved the gutters or replaced them, and made it worse. Looks like I need to call a pro. Thanks, everyone, for your answers.
posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 1:19 PM on May 30, 2013
What sucks is that I can see holes where the gutters used to be screwed in, and some idiot previous owner or contractor either moved the gutters or replaced them, and made it worse. Looks like I need to call a pro. Thanks, everyone, for your answers.
posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 1:19 PM on May 30, 2013
What sucks is that I can see holes where the gutters used to be screwed in, and some idiot previous owner or contractor either moved the gutters or replaced them, and made it worse.
Commonly this happens where overflowing gutters regularly wet the fascia board that the gutters are nailed to, rotting the board so that the nails don't have enough solid wood to bite into, to carry the weight of the water that fills them. The gutters come loose, and the nails have to be moved to new locations because the old holes are too far gone. It's not necessarily a mark of idiocy.
posted by jon1270 at 2:19 PM on May 30, 2013 [1 favorite]
Commonly this happens where overflowing gutters regularly wet the fascia board that the gutters are nailed to, rotting the board so that the nails don't have enough solid wood to bite into, to carry the weight of the water that fills them. The gutters come loose, and the nails have to be moved to new locations because the old holes are too far gone. It's not necessarily a mark of idiocy.
posted by jon1270 at 2:19 PM on May 30, 2013 [1 favorite]
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posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 12:00 PM on May 24, 2013