# Leaking Gutters



## fripster (Feb 13, 2010)

should add to my post:

1) I know that that freeze/thaw cycle is a fact of life, but would like to know how to solve the issue of leaking from behind....possibly at each hanger.

2) Would gutter guards help to keep the gutters clear? I am looking at the aluminum mesh type that arch slightly up. They clip to the front of the gutter and the back rests on the shingles.


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## Grumpy (Dec 12, 2003)

You have an ice damn that is most likely pushing between the drip edge and the gutter. It could also be pushing up and under the roof and over the drip edghe then behind the drip edge. Be happy it's not coming in your house. 

when the snow and ice melts you may be able to better secure the drip edge to the gutter using large pan head exterior rated screws. However the entire edge of the roof may need to be torn so that the edge of the roof can be properly detailed. There are just too many unknowns. 

The question I have is does the drip edge extend INTO the gutters and the hanger fasteners pierce through the drip edge, or is the gutter installed below the drip edge? If the gutter is installed below the drip edge then the drip edge is essentially useless against the ice.


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## Daniel Holzman (Mar 10, 2009)

I had ice dam problems one year with my gutters due to a similar problem. I permanently resolved the problem by removing the gutters. You can check old threads on this forum regarding the need for gutters, there are lots of opinions of course. My take, based on personal experience and observations of other houses, is that gutters are unnecessary if the grade slopes away from your house, you have adequate overhang, and you have no need to collect water for drinking or gardening.

I tried gutter guards with absolutely no success, the gutter guards filled with pine needles and stopped working. Now that I have no gutters, I have minimal problems with icicles, even on the north side of the house.


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## handy man88 (Jan 23, 2007)

Daniel Holzman said:


> I had ice dam problems one year with my gutters due to a similar problem. I permanently resolved the problem by removing the gutters. You can check old threads on this forum regarding the need for gutters, there are lots of opinions of course. My take, based on personal experience and observations of other houses, is that gutters are unnecessary if the grade slopes away from your house, you have adequate overhang, and you have no need to collect water for drinking or gardening.
> 
> I tried gutter guards with absolutely no success, the gutter guards filled with pine needles and stopped working. Now that I have no gutters, I have minimal problems with icicles, even on the north side of the house.


Your points make sense.

The only other thing to consider is the landscaping around your house. 

With all that rain falling off the sides, I think rock mulch sounds good.


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## fripster (Feb 13, 2010)

Thanks for the replies.

Yes, the drip edge extends into the gutters and the "hidden hangers" are installed through the drip edge. The drip edge extends about 1/2 way down into the gutters. Shingles also properly extend over the edge of the roof.

I have the contractor coming back out when the weather clears to look at it. I suspect that when he hung the gutters, he ended up re-positioning them. ie....he took out some hangers and reinstalled in a different location. I'm thinking part of the problem may be that some of the old holes weren't sealed back up. At this time, that is part of my theory, but not fact.

Like I mentioned earlier, I have 6 gutters on the house, and this is the only one causing major trouble.

If the gutters are filling up with water via the ice dam, shouldn't water / ice also be cascading over the front of the gutters, too? There is nothing coming over the front of the gutters.


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