Frequently Asked Gutter Questions

  Author: Vedran Cvitanovic, DVC Aluminum


A: 5" gutter is what majority of contractors install these days on residential properties. 6" gutter is used on commercial properties and in most cases 6" is too large (esthetically bulky looking) if installed on a house smaller than 6000sq. ft.



A: Your two choices are nails and hanger brackets.

Nails are the economical system currently used by all major builders in GTA when building new houses. Nails will eventually start coming loose and are not the best option.

We at DVC Aluminum install our gutters with premium quality hanger brackets. In our opinion, this is the best fastening system currently available on the market. The advantages of this system:
1. Brackets are screwed in so they don't come loose.
2. Brackets are installed on the inner side of gutters which makes them hidden/invisible.



A: If your house is surrounded by trees, we at DVC Aluminum advise purchase of strong, reliable, quality leaf guard that will prevent leaves from entering the gutters. It's very important to initially install good leaf guard (with new gutters or on top of recently cleaned existing gutters). If low quality leaf guard is installed and fails to perform you will be faced with a bigger problem. We carry samples of hanger brackets and leaf guard to all our free estimate appointments. This way you can see and touch the product and there are no surprises. 
You may have been introduced to a product that serves as both leaf guard and gutter fastener. It's a leaf guard that clamps on top of gutters and it gets attached to fascia board with screws (holding and attaching the gutter as well). We at DVC Aluminum have carefully considered the advantages and disadvantages of this product. Overall it's not a bad product, but currently it's not the best bang for your buck. Simply installing hanger brackets and high end leaf guard will do the job and save you money.




A: Large amounts of ice in the gutter are caused by insufficient insulation in the roof system. Heat goes up through the roof, heats up the snow which melts and turns into ice inside the gutter. Another cause of ice in the gutter can be improper gutter slope. If water sits in your gutters in the summer, ice will be there in the winter.



A: New houses that are currently being built by all major builders in GTA feature the 2.5"x2.5" (small square) downspouts. Even though these downspouts are called "small square", in 99% of installations this kind of downspout combined with 5" gutters works well. We at DVC Aluminum like to install the 3"x3" (large square) downspouts on your property for one simple reason. Large square downspouts allow more water to flow faster as we try to avoid any possible gutter overflow caused by heavy rainfalls. It is also possible to go with even larger downspouts (4"x3"), but if you opt for this kind your colour options become limited since not many suppliers carry it. Also, these 4"x3" downspouts may appear bulky on small-mid size houses.



A: It's always better to have more downspouts than less. If more downspouts are being installed it's easier for contractors to configure a proper gutter slope. Good slope ensures water will not be sitting in your gutters. Unfortunately, some home owners are limited with the amount of places where downspouts can be installed. In this case we try our best to find available spots in order to install sufficient amount of downspouts and get water away from the house.



I think that covers most frequently asked gutter related questions. Don't hesitate to email me at vedran@dvcaluminum.com if you have a question that I did not cover. Thank you.

Vedran Cvitanovic
DVC Aluminum :: Your local siding, soffit/fascia and gutter professional!
www.dvcaluminum.com

 

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