Your home’s eavestroughs are an incredibly important component of your home. Among other things, this system is responsible for protecting the structure from water damage as a result of precipitation that can make its way through your roof or foundation. Your eavestroughs not only collect rainwater, but they direct it far enough away from your home so that it is not given the chance to pool and seep into your home and cause damage.

But eavestroughs can often end up in such bad shape that replacement of the entire system – or even just a component of it – may be necessary. It’s essential to take good care of your eavestroughs by cleaning them regularly and inspecting them from time to time for any signs of damage. But like many other components of a home, sometimes replacement may be required, particularly for systems that are very old or have been damaged somehow.

So, if your eavestroughs need to be replaced, there are certain things you will need to consider.

Strength of Your Roof

Before you can have a new eavestrough system installed, you’ll need to have your roof’s strength assessed. After all, if the roof’s integrity has been compromised, your eavestroughs can only do so much to protect your home from the water making its way in. The thing is, if your roof is very old and is in dire need of replacement, you may want to consider tackling that job first before you get into replacing your eavestroughs.

Aluminum Weight

There are different weights of aluminum that can be used for eavestroughs, so you may want to understand what they are and what may be best suited for your home. Aluminum in 0.24 gauge is usually a good choice, but your eavestrough installer will want to take a look at your home and the slope of your roof before making a final decision. In some cases, a higher gauge may be necessary. But only your eavestrough installer will be able to make that decision.

Downspout Size

The downspouts are what directs all the rainwater that was collected by the eavestroughs away from your home so it doesn’t pool against the structure. You will have a choice in downspout sizes. The choice you make will depend largely on how much water your area gets on a regular basis on average as well as how quickly you want the water to be sent away from your home. Obviously, larger downspouts will be able to move water more quickly compared to smaller ones.

Colour

As important as your eavestrough system is to maintain the integrity of your home, you still want them to be attractive. You likely go to great lengths to improve the visual appeal of your home’s exterior (as well as it’s interior). So, it’s only fitting that you give some attention to the esthetics of your eavestroughs when you install a new system, and colour plays a big role.

Ideally, the colour you choose should blend in well with the colouring of the rest of your home’s exterior, particularly the wall and roof colours. Some homeowners prefer that the colour of their eavestroughs is the same as the trim around doors and windows, while others prefer that they match the fascia and soffit of their roof. Your eavestrough professionals can help you decide which colour is best when you have a new system installed on your home.

If your home’s eavestroughs need to be replaced, call the experts in eavestrough installation and repair: Tip Top Trough!