How to Install Gutters on Your Prefabricated Steel Building

A gutter is important to have because of the protection it provides. Gutters ensure that you do not get drenched when coming inside. Gutters drain off the water so that there are no sheets of rain falling off the roof. Gutters also keep you protected against leaks. Rain water can leak into a steel building especially if the windows and doors are not well sealed. 

Gutters also keep a foundation protected. If rain water is not diverted from the top of a building, it can leak into the foundation and compromise the structural integrity. Evidence of a damaged foundation will be seen in cracks on a concrete slab and fissures may be seen on an interior drywall.  

How to install gutters

Having seen the need for them, the question is do you know how to install gutters? Start with checking in the steel building at the point where the wall is joined to the roof. Make sure that the steel channel is in good condition because this is the point where the gutter will sit. You then need to take measurements of your steel building so that you get the right size of gutter and order it.

You can then proceed with the steps to how to install gutters. If need be, you can cut off the back of the gutter by a few inches to get the right dimensions. If the hangers are attached to the roof, cut at the edge of the roof while leaving the screws attached on the roof so that it is not damaged. You then need to measure the roof overhang. 

Another measurement you will need to make is the web depth on the wall panels. This is done to know which length of wood screw or self-taping metal screws will be needed. There are metal self-tappers that will cut through a quarter to three eighths of an inch of steel that work quite well. 

The next step in how to install gutters is to hem over the roof flange onto itself. Then, brake it back out towards the gutter and not back onto the roof. Make sure that you leave enough room to be able to fit a drill between the roof and the edge of the gutter at the front in order to anchor the hanger into the structure.

The step to follow in how to install gutters is to hold it up to the roof. Put a temporarily screw through the roof in a low web and into the gutter’s hem. This is done to allow the installation of long gutter sections for long or wide buildings. If there in rain water on the roof and the screw leaks, it will leak into the gutter. The hanger goes in next.  Hangers should hook the front hem of the gutter.