Whatever the type of downspout you have on your house, you are going to need to replace them eventually. You should be checking your gutters and downspouts two times per year. You need to make sure there is no kind of debris in them, and that rust is not building up. Even if you do this sort of basic maintenance, your downspouts eventually will have to be replaced.

If you have steel downspouts, you might notice that your spouts are starting to leak whenever rain falls. You may have rust building up so that you are starting to get holes in your downspouts. This would mean that you need to replace your downspouts so that they keep working right. As a general rule, if you are able to see any rust on the outside of your downspout when you are looking at them from the ground level, you probably should replace the downspouts.

If you have plastic downspouts, you should know that weather and time will damage them. You should be on the look out for any discoloration or any fading on the coating of the downspout. You do not have to worry about rust with these downspouts, but they wear out, too.

If you have aluminum downspouts, keep in mind that aluminum does last a lot longer than steel. But aluminum dents very easily. If you begin to see any cracks, chips or curls on the edges of your aluminum downspouts, it is a good idea to take them down and replace them.

Keep in mind that steel downspouts will need to be replaced on a more regular basis than plastic or aluminum products. If the downspouts on your house are greater than 40 years old, you will want to replace them regardless of how they look.

You should take a look at your downspouts every fall and every spring. You should look for any downspouts that have spaces between the gutter and the downspout in the area where run off water is not being routed properly. You might see rust spots on the downspout too.

If you have a downspout that is loose, you can use screws and a drill to put two screws into the downspout top. You will then reattach it to your gutter. You will put 1 screw on both sides of the downspout. For a longer one, you can give it more stability by strapping it to the side of your house.

Also, if you get a lot of snow in your area, be aware that ice is a serious danger to the health of your gutters and downspouts. If you get ice in your downspouts, water will not be able to drain right. This means that the water will build up and get under the shingles on the lower part of your roof. This could cause major damage to your roof and event the interior of your home. Make sure that you inspect your downspouts and gutters during snow melts to make sure ice is not trapping water and keeping it from draining.

Visit us at our website for more home improvement tips. See our section here on maintenance free gutter systems.

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Author Bio: Visit us at our website for more home improvement tips. See our section here on maintenance free gutter systems.

Category: Home Management
Keywords: Home, Repair, Construction, Tips, Advise, Energy