This leaky eavestrough has stained the stucco
When installed properly, eaves troughs are designed to last decades with little or no maintenance. Light fading of the paint is normal in darker colours, but aside from that the aluminum is rugged and durable, and the fasteners are corrosion resistant. After a couple of decades, however the gentle forces of time begin to express themselves in wear and tear by faults in three systems:
- Hangers
- Corners
- End Caps
These systems are affected over the long term by the following forces:
- Heat
- UV rays
- Wind
Eavestrough Hangers
The hangers are the parts that hold the front and back of the eavestroughs together, making it a rigid piece. The hangers are then screwed directly to the eaves of the building. A single hangers should support over 100 lbs in weight when installed properly, and can be made of either metal or very strong & weather resistant plastic. These can begin to fail if there is a lot of torsion on the screw heads. Sunlight shining directly on a length of eavestrough will cause the metal to expand. On long stretches this can mean expansion of 1/2” or more, and we sometimes see nail heads shorn off near the ends of the run. This is exacerbated by vibrations from the wind.
Eavestrough Corners
Corners are subject to the same forces of vibration, expansion, and contraction that can damage the hangers. Normally eavestroughs runs are all continuous, except for the corners where a cut must be made and sealant applied. Because the pieces of trough on a corner are perpendicular there is extra wear and tear. The sealant as it hardens over time can separate from the metal and water will flow underneath and out. This is the most common source of water leaks
Eavestrough End Caps
End caps are the second most common cause of leaky eavestroughs. Sealant will have hardened or been installed incorrectly and water will drip underneath. Wind doesn’t really affect the end caps in the same way as the rest of the installation.
These are the dominant causes of problems on the standard Calgary Eavestrough repair, bbut .here are many other ways that your Calgary eavestrough installation can be affect by nature. Typically in ways that are much more violent, such as hail and failing tree limbs. We’ll talk about these in our upcoming blogs, see you then!