Gutters

July 27, 2021

We got the next phase of roofing at our house yesterday as the crew showed up to install the new gutters.  They began by removing the old gutters and the brackets that held them in place.  After the gutters were installed, they attached a new leaf guard system to replace the old one.  The leaf guards were black rather than the silver we had previously, and the gutters were a stark white which (luckily?) matched the existing trim.  While the gutter crew did not arrive as early nor stay as late, they were able to get most of the work done in one day.  I needed to have repairs done on two of my soffit joints and the wood needed to be purchased from the lumber yard and they had to return.  While the new system looks good, it also pointed out that I need to paint the eaves of our house.

Rain gutters are known as a crucial part and necessary investment of modern homes.  The gutters and down spouts funnel water away from the home to avoid water-related damage to the roof and foundation.  Although there are many types of drainage systems on the market, gutters have a long history.  The first gutters were in place as early as 3,000 BCE, as ancient civilizations started draining water using systems made of stone, brick, and wood.  The main objective of ancient gutters was to move water from one location to another, and often the gutters moved water into cisterns for storage.  Ancient civilizations also used waterspouts perched on roofs to drain water to the ground.  During the Middle Ages the European architects used waterspouts in the form of gargoyles on large structures like cathedrals and palaces.  Our installer did not think a gargoyle would work on my house.

I noticed on the side of the installation truck they offered seamless gutters.  When I checked online, I found seamless gutters are exactly that, seamless.  Rather than coming in standard 10-foot lengths, which are pieced together, seamless gutters are formed and cut to any length required by the roof line.  That meant the long runs had a single gutter, with the only seams at the roof angles.  While each seam is sealed, there is a possibility of leaks as the gutter ages.  Seamless gutters are made of galvanized steel, rather than the aluminum or vinal used in standard gutters.  That makes them heavier and stronger and more resistant to damage from the weight of snow and ice.  Seamless also means this is not a DIY project, unless you have a gutter forming machine and know how to operate it.  I have neither.

Thoughts:  After graduating from High School, I attended college on a hit or miss basis, working a semester and then retuning to school.  During one of my summer hiatuses, I worked at a meat processing plant.  I would arrive at 6 am with outside temperatures at 80F and enter a building kept at 35F.  I only lasted a couple of weeks.  When the owner returned to finish the gutters, he said his new worker quit after his first day.  He had decided it was too hot to hang gutters.  Perhaps he should have learned from the roofers and taken his lunch sleeping in the shade under a tree.  When I worked manual labor, the first few days on a new job were the hardest.  While you begin to get used to the labor, you also devise ways to adapt to the job.  If you cannot, you quit.  It seems many have decided to treat the pandemic the same way.  They did not like the restrictions and refused to adapt, and now refuse the vaccine that could save the lives of countless others.  With the pandemic, quitting is not an option.  Follow the science.  Change is coming and it starts with you.