Gutters--Proper installation question

[Dave Combs]

I just had new gutters installed and I am not paticularly happy with the installation. My facia boards are at right angles to the rafters, not perpendiculat to the ground. My roof is very low pitched (1:12) so the bottom of the facia board is "indented". The gutters were installed with the back perpendicular to the ground, not flush with the facia therefore there is a gap that one can stick a little finger between the gutter and the facia. The gutter company says it installed them perpendicular to the ground so water doesn't flow over the tim in a heavy range. They are coming back to discuss the matter on Monday but I need some expert advice. Has anyone ever seen a gutter that was not installed flush to the facia?

Thanks.

Dave

[Jim Rusling]

Mine have been installed that way for over 20 years.

[tom]

Jim wrote: Mine have been installed that way for over 20 years.

Mine, also. Installed it myself (with a little help from my neighbors). As long as the gutter is properly affixed, you'll be fine.

[Robert Allison]

They installed them correctly. The most that you should be asking for now, is for some shims between the gutter and the fascia to make sure that they STAY installed correctly. The weight of the water when full may cause them to bend down against the fascia, which would be incorrect.

[RicodJour]

With a 1:12 and a socal.rr.com address I don't think they'll be experiencing any snow/ice, so it' doubtful whether they'd ever be more than a couple pounds per foot of load - that is unless they're never cleaned and are used as sky-planters. Shims couldn't hurt though.

Sloped fascias are usually done by people who either don't want gutters, don't know how gutters are attached or are looking for a period look. Of course the carpenter could have been lazy as well.

R

[Joseph Meehan]

They did the job the right way. Don't try to improve on what they did right.

[MLD]

While a couple of responses are on the right track basically, you haven't received one reply that gives you the correct answer to your problem. I have a fascia board that is not vertical and is angled inward. The gutters are installed perpendicular to the ground but here is the difference between your installation and mine. I have a drip edge under the first course of shingles on the roof---it extends slightly beyond the roof line. There is a product called "gutter wedges" that are designed to be used when there is a angled fascia board. When the gutter is installed correctly, the drip edge extend over the gutter and the wedges provide a solid foundation to keep the gutter in place. My wedges are about 12" or so apart. The link below will show you exactly what I'm referring to. There is even a sketch that shows a typical installation. I'm amazed that a company that installs gutters didn't put in the wedges. My system is as solid as a rock and putting/climbing a ladder against the gutter didn't even budge it. Get it done right--print out the sketch shown in the referenced link.

MLD

[G Henslee]

BFD. Get off of your soapbox...

[MLD]

Obviously, you must be the guy that installed the gutters--

[RicodJour]

A few observations:

-You shouldn't put ladders against the gutter. It's the sign of a hack.

-Regarding your amazement - the shims are a non-standard item and unlikely to be included in any contract unless specified or discussed beforehand.

-If you read the OP you should have picked up on the roof pitch: 1/12 which is slightly under 5 degrees. The link you provided shows 20-45 degree wedges. How much of that store-bought wedge is going to be left after you trim it down to 1/12? Less than 3/8".

-Your solution is rather lame for the OP's situation. It's a needless expense and a huge waste of time cutting down wedges. If you think it needs to be shimmed, there are better ways to do it.

R

[RicodJour]

A few observations:

-You shouldn't put ladders against the gutter. It's the sign of a hack.

-Regarding your amazement - the shims are a non-standard item and unlikely to be included in any contract unless specified or discussed beforehand.

-If you read the OP you should have picked up on the roof pitch: 1/12 which is slightly under 5 degrees. The link you provided shows 20-45 degree wedges. How much of that store-bought wedge is going to be left after you trim it down to 1/12? Less than 3/8".

-Your solution is rather lame for the OP's situation. It's a needless expense and a huge waste of time cutting down wedges. If you think it needs to be shimmed, there are better ways to do it.

R

[Dave Combs]

Thanks to all for your input. Where I live is 45 year old houses many of which you might call California "modern"; i.e., low pitched roofs, floor to ceiling windows and NO insulation (my heating bills were cheaper in Chicago). I did walk around the neighborhood and all of the similar houses with "professional gutters" were installed like mine. Guess it goes to show that you never notice anything until it is yours.

Thanks again to all!