How to Install Eaves & Gutters

Eaves-troughs, or rain gutters, can be installed by anyone with average DIY skills. However, difficulty arises when you need to gain access to the roof edges, especially those on the upper floors. Eaves-troughs come in various materials, from the most common PVC and aluminum to the more expensive copper and steel. Each manufacturer has its own system, but in general all systems are similar. Commercial installers have their own metal-bending equipment, which allows them to shape a roll of aluminum sheeting into long, seamless gutters. Store-bought systems usually come in 10-foot lengths, and they need couplers to extend their reach. PVC systems are the easiest to handle, to cut to size and to fit, but aluminum systems are stronger.

Gutter sections, 10-foot lengths
Hangers
Outside corners
Inside corners
End caps, 2 for each run
Drop outlet, 1 for each run of up to 30 feet
Downspout
45-degree elbows, 3 per downspout
Straps
Ladder
Hammer
Tin snips (for aluminum systems) or saw (for PVC systems)
Outdoor caulk
Chalk line

Instructions

- 1
  Measure each side of the roof edge where you need to install eaves-troughs. Cut a trough section to fit if the side of the roof edge is less than 10 feet. Join another section if the length is longer than 10 feet. Cut a hole the shape and size of the downspout near one end of ideally the longest section.
- 2
  Place the ladder near one side of the roof edge. Lift one end of the trough section to the roof edge and fix it to the roof rafter with a hanger 24 inches from the end of the section. The most common hangers are long spikes that are hammered through from the outside of the trough, through a metal or PVC pipe the width of the trough and through the inner side of the trough into the rafter. Other systems use straps, U-shaped hooks or need to be nailed to the eaves rafters through the inner edge of the trough.
- 3
  Move the ladder to the other end of the roof edge. Lift the other end of the trough section to the edge. Hammer in a hanger at a point that is 24 inches from the end. Attach hangers every 18 inches to 24 inches between the two end hangers.
- 4
  Snap on end caps at both ends of the trough run. Add inside or outside corners as needed where two section lengths meet. Insert the drop outlet into the hole cut in the trough section. Insert one 45-degree elbow into the drop outlet. Insert another 45-degree elbow into the first elbow to form an S-shape.
- 5
  Insert one end of the downspout into the lower end of the elbow. Insert the third 45-degree elbow into the bottom end of the downspout to form a J-shape facing outwards. Nail in straps every 8 feet or less to the backing wall behind the downspout. Screw the front of the strap to the downspout. Caulk all joints and fittings.

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