Living in a mobile home can have a lot of advantages. There are manufactured in a factory. So, they have a lower cost than building a new home. It also gives you the option of moving to a new location in the future. This ensures that you’ll have a lot of flexibility. To get the most use of your mobile home, you’ll need to make sure that you have installed gutters. These will stop the rainwater from pooling up and damaging the roof. I also recommend attaching the gutter to a water tank. This will allow you to store the water for later, shrinking your utility bill. Let’s look at some of the easy ways to attach a gutter to your mobile home.
Measure The Slope
The first thing that you’ll want to do is measure out the slope of the roof. This is essential to make sure that the water drains away properly, rather than just sitting on the roof. As a general rule, you’ll want to get an inch drop for every 20 feet. When designing your slope, you’ll need to make sure that it remains consistent.
Start Planning Out The Guttering
Once you’ve got the slope taken care of, you can move on to planning the gutter. You’ll need to decide where you want to put the downspouts. This is the collection point that all the water will run into. How many downspouts you’ll need will depend on the size of the mobile home. If you only have a small property, you might want to get two. If you have a bigger home, you’ll need at least four.
Measure And Cut The Gutter
Once you know where everything will be going, you’ll be able to start measuring and cutting the guttering. To decide how much guttering you’ll need, measure the length of the entire building. You’ll need to remember to leave a ¼ inch allowance, for the end cap.
Once you have the dimensions, you’ll be ready to start assembling the guttering. It’s often recommended that you try to do as much of this on the ground as possible. You will be able to join all the pieces together and lay them out.
Lift And Secure The Gutter
When you’re ready, you’ll be able to lift each piece and secure it in place. How you attach the guttering to the roof will vary. Some models might require you to use screws. In other cases, you might need to use nails. It’s also possible that you might need to use brackets, hooking it to the shingles. To make sure that you’re doing it properly, you’ll need to refer to the instruction manual. The gutter will come with pre-drilled holes where you’ll be able to attach the fasteners.
You’ll need to use special pieces to keep the corners in place. These are called elbow joints. As long as the slope is at a consistent angle, you won’t have any trouble getting the elbow joint to fit into place.
Install The Downspouts
The next thing that you’ll need to do is install the downspouts. For these to be effective, you’ll need to place it at the lowest point of the guttering. Typically, this will mean installing this in the corner. As you’re doing this, you’ll often need to use brackets to attach the downspouts. However, you won’t need to glue them in place. This ensures that you’ll be able to lift the downspout out and clean it.
Once you have the downspout in place, you’ll need to line it with sealant. This will ensure that it doesn’t spring a leak. Leave it for a while for the sealant to set. Before you move on, it’s a good idea to test the seal. Gently spray some water from the hose around the downspout. You shouldn’t see any drips coming out of the bottom.
Attach The Rain Sleeve
The next stage of the process is to attach a rain sleeve. To measure it out, you’ll need to place the sleeve into the gutter. Record where the ends are. Then, using a jigsaw, you’ll be able to cut it out. When you’re laying the rain sheet in place, you’ll want to use some sealant, to make sure that it is attached properly. Once you’re finished this, you’ll need to remove any of excess.
Attach The End Pieces
Finally, you’ll be ready to attach the end pieces. This will stop the water from flowing out of the end of the gutter. You’ll often need to use a metal crimping tool to make sure that it’s been firmly attached. Once this is done, you’ll want to apply some sealant around the edges. Now the gutter will be finished, so you’ll be ready when the rains begin.
Caring For Your Gutters
After you’ve gone to all the effort of installing your gutters, you’ll want to make sure that you maintain them properly. One of the most important tasks is to remove leaves and sticks from the gutter. This will stop them from building up and blocking the downspout. This will stop the gutter from overflowing during heavy rains. This video goes into more depth about how to clean your gutter:
When the rains do come, spend a few minutes looking at the gutters. You’ll want to make sure that they haven’t sprung a leak. How severe the leak is will determine the way that you fix it. For example, if it’s relatively minor, you might be able to plug it with some sealant. However, if it’s a bigger leak, you might need to remove and replace that section of guttering.
Conclusion
It’s important to make sure that you’re taking care of the gutters on your mobile home. This will stop water from damaging the roof and exterior of the property. As we’ve seen, installing new guttering doesn’t need to be a difficult task. As long as you’re able to follow a few simple tips, you’ll be able to attach the gutters yourself. So, use this information to install gutters on your mobile home this weekend.
