|
Home > Archive > Home Repair forum > December 2005 > Gutter flashing question
You are viewing an archived Text-only version of the thread.
To view this thread in it's original format and/or if you want to reply to
this thread please [click here]
| Author |
Gutter flashing question
|
|
| Shaun Eli 2005-12-30, 8:21 pm |
| My parents' house had their gutters replaced three years ago. Water
has been seeping behind the gutters and getting into the house.
A couple of roofers had a look and said that there should have been
flashing installed behind the gutters to prevent this. I called the
contractor and he said he'd never heard of such a thing. He added that
in the last few years (the house is over 50 years old and has a slate
roof) the standard has been to install metal strips under the first row
of shingles, but otherwise the installation sounds correct.
Who is correct here? Should there be something added behind the
gutters?
| |
|
| You can argue with him until hell freezes. Tell him that you don't care how
he does it, but he has to stop the rain from coming inside the house,
otherwise you'll take him to small claims court. If you don't hear from him,
send him a certified letter.
"Shaun Eli" <missingchild@BrainChampagne.com> wrote in message
news:1135987470.236784.259810@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> My parents' house had their gutters replaced three years ago. Water
> has been seeping behind the gutters and getting into the house.
>
> A couple of roofers had a look and said that there should have been
> flashing installed behind the gutters to prevent this. I called the
> contractor and he said he'd never heard of such a thing. He added that
> in the last few years (the house is over 50 years old and has a slate
> roof) the standard has been to install metal strips under the first row
> of shingles, but otherwise the installation sounds correct.
>
> Who is correct here? Should there be something added behind the
> gutters?
>
| |
| Shaun Eli 2005-12-30, 10:21 pm |
| Sure, except that the installation was three years ago and I don't know
how easy it will be to prove where the water's coming from.
The question remains: What is the industry standard for installing
gutters (in NY, by the way)?
| |
| clservice0332@aol.com 2005-12-30, 10:21 pm |
| There is a drip edge that you can buy at your home inprovement center
that slips up under your shingle, ontop of the plywood and felt paper.
the flashing goes out pass the facial which the water will follow and
drops into the gutter.Thell them you want some roofers drip edge.
James
| |
|
| He might not want to take the chance of installing that stuff under a slate
roof.
<clservice0332@aol.com> wrote in message
news:1135993206.891481.308070@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> There is a drip edge that you can buy at your home inprovement center
> that slips up under your shingle, ontop of the plywood and felt paper.
> the flashing goes out pass the facial which the water will follow and
> drops into the gutter.Thell them you want some roofers drip edge.
> James
>
| |
| buffalobill 2005-12-30, 10:21 pm |
| in buffalo ny: leaves and pine needles block the gutters from draining
water away. the water freezes and backs under the roof edges. remove
debris and install leaf guards after you have a plumber snake out the
downspout traps and downspouts. the waste heat that formerly warmed the
roof to shed its snow and ice in winter is blocked with modern
insulation techniques to save energy. in the north snowy climates and
rainy areas a 45 degree pitched roof does a better job of shedding
water than a 30 degree pitch or flat roof would. check your town's
rules for rainwater- some want it in the storm sewer others want it on
the lawn.
desert climates don't have gutters. isolated cabins sometimes use a
clean water roof water collection and water barrel system to collect
rainwater.
building codes are local to your city or county or state and usually
require a specified pitch to the downspout. you can check for drainage
problems such as low spots with a rope, garden hose, and attic windows
or ladder.
your roof's flashing needs to deliver the water away from the roof into
the gutters, but sometimes an electric de-icing winter system is needed
to move things along when icing is the only problem for water flow. do
not take any shortcuts in plumbing if there underground traps that are
blocked or broken they must be replaced or the tainwater problem moves
from the eaves to the basement.
| |
| Roger 2005-12-30, 11:21 pm |
| "Shaun Eli" <missingchild@BrainChampagne.com> wrote in message
news:1135987470.236784.259810@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> My parents' house had their gutters replaced three years ago. Water
> has been seeping behind the gutters and getting into the house.>
> A couple of roofers had a look and said that there should have been
> flashing installed behind the gutters to prevent this. I called the
> contractor and he said he'd never heard of such a thing. He added that
> in the last few years (the house is over 50 years old and has a slate
> roof) the standard has been to install metal strips under the first row
> of shingles, but otherwise the installation sounds correct.>
> Who is correct here? Should there be something added behind the
> gutters?
The gutter guy should know that shingles that don't have a good projection
beyond the roof edge, or are rounded in places, like slate, leak back onto
the side of the house without some sort of modification. To understand how
the water gets onto the house sides, Google for "coanda effect". As one
poster said, one way to fix this is to tuck copper or aluminum sheet strips
under the roof edge, causing the rain to fall a little further toward the
middle of the gutter, and providing a sharp edge for the water to drip from,
reducing the coanda effect, which causes water to cling to the edge of the
slates and actually back uphill a bit, and drip behind the guttering.
Some, or many, gutter contractors don't appreciate this property of running
water.
>
| |
| RicodJour 2005-12-31, 12:21 am |
| Roger wrote:
>
> The gutter guy should know that shingles that don't have a good projection
> beyond the roof edge, or are rounded in places, like slate, leak back onto
> the side of the house without some sort of modification. To understand how
> the water gets onto the house sides, Google for "coanda effect". As one
> poster said, one way to fix this is to tuck copper or aluminum sheet strips
> under the roof edge, causing the rain to fall a little further toward the
> middle of the gutter, and providing a sharp edge for the water to drip from,
> reducing the coanda effect, which causes water to cling to the edge of the
> slates and actually back uphill a bit, and drip behind the guttering.
> Some, or many, gutter contractors don't appreciate this property of running
> water.
I'd never heard of the Coanda Effect. Interesting. Seems that it is
not universally accepted: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coanda_effect
Anyone that has worked on gutters, windows or the like, knows that drip
edges are necessary. The question is whether a contractor hired to
install gutters will automatically throw in roof edging or drip edges
if they're not there. The answer is no - not unless he's specifically
asked, or he points out the need and the owner agrees and pays extra.
It's not clear from the OPs post what is actually going on. It seems
that people are assuming that the gutter guy did something wrong or
omitted something. A picture or two and a more complete explanation of
where the water shows up and under what weather conditions would help
with the diagnosis.
R
| |
| Shaun Eli 2005-12-31, 2:21 am |
| Thanks, folks. For the record, the gutters are clear-- no clogs. And
it's not an issue of freezing because this happened before the
temperature dropped below freezing.
Next time I'm at the house I'll take a look to see exactly where the
gutters are installed relative to the edge of the shingles.
| |
| calhoun 2005-12-31, 9:21 am |
|
"Roger" <yokel@spamfree.com> wrote in message
news:fY6dnS23suF1cSjeRVn-qw@comcast.com...
> "Shaun Eli" <missingchild@BrainChampagne.com> wrote in message
> news:1135987470.236784.259810@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> The gutter guy should know that shingles that don't have a good projection
> beyond the roof edge, or are rounded in places, like slate, leak back onto
> the side of the house without some sort of modification. To understand
> how the water gets onto the house sides, Google for "coanda effect". As
> one poster said, one way to fix this is to tuck copper or aluminum sheet
> strips under the roof edge, causing the rain to fall a little further
> toward the middle of the gutter, and providing a sharp edge for the water
> to drip from, reducing the coanda effect, which causes water to cling to
> the edge of the slates and actually back uphill a bit, and drip behind the
> guttering.
> Some, or many, gutter contractors don't appreciate this property of
> running water.
>
>
I don't see what this would have to do with the gutter causing a leak. This
coanda effect would cause a leak even if there was no gutter there. The
only way, I can see, a gutter causing a roof leak is if it is blocked or
frozen causing water to back up.
| |
| Wayne Whitney 2005-12-31, 2:22 pm |
| On 2005-12-31, clservice0332@aol.com <clservice0332@aol.com> wrote:
> There is a drip edge that you can buy at your home inprovement
> center that slips up under your shingle, ontop of the plywood and
> felt paper.
Shouldn't the drip edge be underneath the felt paper, for proper
"shingling"?
Cheers, Wayne
|
|
|
|
|