Patching a Leaking Gutter

Now that the rainy season(winter in California) is drawing near it is the perfect time for patching a leaking gutter. I face this task after enduring a leaking gutter due to some slipshod work on one of my gutters. I recently had some work done and this gutter was in place and made shorter. When the contractors put the gutter together it looked good but over the winter did not hold the water as it should have. So I have the task of patching a leaking gutter on my radar.

Patching method advantages

1. I like this method very much. Its main advantage is that the gutter isn’t removed to achieve the repair.
2. Second, it uses off the shelf materials.
3. Third and I consider it the best reason, it uses a netting material embedded in the roof patching material that will join the two pieces together and make the two pieces act as one for expansion-contraction cycles.
4. Forth this a rubberized type material. The finish coat will be semisoft and pliable. This will allow for more range in expansion-contraction without cracking.

How much materials?

If you’re wondering how much material it took to finish the patch I purchased two tubes(for my caulking gun) of the patching material but only used one of the tubes. I already had some fiberglass tape on hand so I used it. A single strip along the bottom. Applied lengthwise about 8-10 inches long. Another strip of tape along the seam of the gutter was all the tape required. A bed of the roofing sealer to embed the tape. Another layer to cover the tape so that it is well embedded finished the repair.

Extending the life of old gutters

Going beyond the leaks to extending the life of some of my older gutters is also a good possibility. The same techniques can be applied to help me extend the life of one of my gutters that has developed pin hole leaks due to age. I envision a quick light steel wool cleaning, an acid treatment to stop the rust(my gutters are steel), and then laying down a thin layer of rubberized roofing patch along with the mesh fabric and another layer to fully embed the roofing fabric.

Related Articles: Home repair articles

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RayC.

Editor at Mybusyretiredlife.com

Trained in the mechanical arts. I have worked on anything dealing with a home from changing a light bulb to moving a load bearing wall. As for the recipes, they came about after I could not find what I was looking for and recipes that over a lifetime I have come to love and want to share with the world.

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