Eavestroughs are lesser thought about than  your roof in Calgary, but are only second in importance.  The purpose of the eavestrough is to manage water away from your foundation where it can cause damage over time.  The importance of this function cannot be overlooked, because without proper water management, your foundation can settle, sink, or – even worse – crack.
The standard service life of your continuous eavestrough in Calgary is about 20 years, plus or minus.  Over this span your installation will see raging winds, torrential rains, and more snow than a person can guess.  At the end of it’s service life, eavestroughs will display the following characteristics:

• Rust – many eavestroughs are made of steel.  Steel is more resilient than aluminium when it comes to physical damage. as it is more resistant to hail.  Unfortunately steel will corrode over time, and the eavestroughs will develop holes.  This is especially true if a lot of organic matter remains in the troughs for an extended period.
• Loose nail hangers – In Calgary, old eavestroughs use the
  
  

  This Calgary eavestrough installation is loose because the screws have broken off.

  
  “Spike & Ferrule” method of hanging.  This means a 6″ nail is driven through the front of the eavestrough into a metal tube (ferrule) and into the structure.  Over time the wooden fascia expands and contracts and the nails come loose.  At this point they are difficult to re-fasten without damaging the eavestroughs themselves.
• Broken screws – Newer eavestroughs are installed using screws and plastic hangers.  The metal eavestroughs expand and contract in Calgary’s wildly varying weather, and as a result it is common to see the nails broken at the nail heads and the troughs sagging off.
• Sagging or drifting foundation – Perhaps most worrying is when we see the ground around the eavestrough outlet has settled and there is a depression.  This can mean there is a cavity under the concrete where water can pool and freeze, or the organic soil is soaking up the water and expanding and contracting with freeze-thaw cycles.

The importance cannot be overstated of ensuring that water drains free and clear of the foundation of your structure.  Without this simple factor being attended to, water can interact with your Calgary home and cause all sorts of headaches such as basement leaks, cracked foundation, extra wear & tear on your sump pump, and mould in your walls.  That’s why you should call the experts at Stalwart Roofing to help solve your roofing and eavestrough problems!