Rain Gutter question??

gun_runner

Its been awhile since Ive been on the boards. Between my Dads death and my relocation back to Wyoming in progress, Ive been very busy. Anyway, Im in Cheyenne and Im fixing some things for my parents. There gutter nails or whatever those long nails are called that hold the gutter on, are continually coming out. Ive cleaned the gutters out and removed all the exess weight but the just dont seem to be in there good. Is there any trick to getting these things to stay in without punching new holes into the wood??

Thanks,

spryor

Long screws would be my first attempt.

dongizmo

They use screws for gutters now, they hold a lot better than nails and are easier to install.
Like these:
http://www.gutterworks.com/gutterscrews.html
Don

n/a

Yes...use gutter screws or concealled hangers with screws....make sure you hit the rafters with the screws. Sometimes people only use a 1X for a gutter board with no 2X material behind it (other than the rafters at 16" or 24" O.C.) The nails will eventually pull out of 1X material.

hughbetcha

Or you could make up a bunch of wood splinters about 6" long, about the size of the nail, then pound them into the nail hole, then pound the nail in. Use cedar shakes and split the shims with a hatchet.

gun_runner

Thanks guys, I went and got some gutter screws. I hope the work. They are $1 a piece so Im going to stagger them and see if they work. Putting wood in the holes will be my next attempt.

Thanks again,

dcloco

Do both. Don't skimp...replace them all. Otherwise, the gutters will have a wave effect about every other screw.

milsurper

Use the screws, and put the platic anchors in the hole where the nails were, and a little cauk in the holes too. kinda like lock-tight.

Frogbert

The wood in the holes is a good idea, providing there is some solid wood around the hole that has rotted out because of the moisture that got in around the nail. The moisture gets in because the nails expand when the sun gets them hot, and they shrink when they cool down, leaving the hole bigger than the nail. That's the reason nails walk out of fence boards also. The replacement gutter screws are great if the wood is good enough around the origional hole that they can grab solid material.

Plugging with new wood is necessary, if the holes are too big, but, put some carpenter's wood glue on the plugs (preferably Titebond #2,exterior type) before you drive them in. If you want to be doubly sure to do a good, long-lasting job, drill the hole out to 1/4 or 5/16 inch, and size some pine or fir plugs to closely fit the drilled hole, glue them in, let them dry a few minutes and then drill 1/8" pilot holes to accept the gutter screws. If you paint the repair before you reinstall the screws, it will seal the end-grain that is exposed of the plug for an even better job.

The cedar works if you are just splintering up some and driving it in, and should be used if you are not taking the time to do a fitted repair. If you are doing the fitted repair, make sure that you size the plugs to fit tightly, but do not oversize them as you could split the end of a rafter, causing you to have to relocate the screw completely.