Your House is Your Haven: Don't Neglect the Interior

Minor Gutter Issues You Can Fix

by Cherly King

While some gutter repair work might be beyond your ability to do, there are lots of minor ways you can fix up your gutters in order to get the most of out of them with the least amount of hassle. Here's just a few.

Loud Downspouts

Gutters can sometimes be really noisy, and downspouts are often a major culprit. The dripping sounds can really get to you, especially if you've hit a wet weather patch. This is actually a really easy fix. You need some rope, preferably made of a synthetic material — cotton or hemp will rot

You don't want it to be much thicker than a half-inch, but if it's too thin it won't do the job, so try to stay above a quarter-inch. You don't even need special tools other than a ladder. You want the length to be longer than the downspout by at least a foot or two. You can trim it up later, but you want room to tie a knot, and the extra weight will help the rope feed down.

Just tie the rope to one of the gutter hangers using a secure knot and feed it down the downspout. If you picked a lighter rope and it seems to be getting caught in the gutter and not dropping through, you could try tying a couple of fishing weights to it to give it some heft and make it drop easier. Water will run along the rope rather than just dropping, so it should eliminate a lot of noise.

Now, this does reduce the flow of your downspout, so if you've only got one downspout or you have a tendency for your downspouts to get get clogged, you probably should solve those problems before you do this.

Gutter Guards

If you have a problem with your gutters getting clogged up, don't worry, it's really common. The only way to stop a tree from dropping its leaves is cutting it down, and tree removal can be pretty pricey. But maybe you don't have that big of a problem with leaves; occasionally, you might have to deal with them, but it's only really a hassle when your downspout gets clogged.

You're in luck — there's a gutter guard designed for this specific issue. They sometimes are sold as gutter filters or strainers, and you can install them in the top of your downspout to prevent clogging. (Follow the manufacturer's instructions for this.)

To learn more about gutter systems, contact a contractor.

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