Drip edge. Why it is critical.

Drip edge is a metal flange that is installed under the first row of shingles. Shown below in black below, it serves a few different purposes.

 It provides some support to the shingles so that they do not curl down over the years and cause cracking of the shingles and potential water to run down behind the eavestrough. It also creates overlapping of the wooden fascia that can be prone to rot due to water penetration. Another benefit is it can cover any small gaps between the roof deck and the fascia which will prevent animals from seeing an opening which they will then chew at until they are into your attic. Drip edge is also perfect for sealing the ice and water shield to. (Ice and water shield is a water proof membrane that roofing companies install before shingling and helps prevent water leakage in the event of an ice dam.)

Here is a simple metal drip edge: (Picture from Quinby Hardware)

 

From an eavestroughing standpoint, drip edge is critical to provide you with a roof that will drain water off the roof and into the eavestrough properly. Some roofers that take the short cut of not using a drip edge will often leave the shingles extra-long so that they will sag down into the eavestrough. This will eventually weaken the shingles and hinder proper installation of any new eavestroughs you may be considering after the roof is done.

Fortunately, it's simple and inexpensive to do when the roof is being replaced. Roofers can buy drip edge for less than a dollar a foot, is installed quickly and comes in various colours. Unfortunately, it is overlooked most of the time. I recently talked to a home owner who just had 3 roofing quotes and no one mentioned or offered drip edge. It was understandable that he was frustrated that he had to do his own investigating into drip edge to realize the potential benefits.

As seen in the picture below, there is no drip edge which causes the shingles to curl down allowing water to drip behind the eavestrough.

 

This picture below of a home in Scarborough, shows the obvious gap between the roof deck and the top of the fascia. If an animal gets in there it will enter straight into the attic.

The drip edge should extend about 3 to 4 inches up under the shingles and down 2 inches maximum over the fascia. Any more than 2 inches can interfere with eavestrough and leaf guard installation which may cause you to incur extra costs. One final tip is that the shingles should extend about 1 inch past the drip edge to ensure proper water flow directly into the eavestrough. It is much easier to have drip edge installed in conjunction with a new roof than trying to install it afterwards. It can be done afterwards, if the shingles have not become weak and brittle from curling down. If this is the case, the shingles may break off when trying to install the drip edge so it's best just to install it when doing the roof.

This final picture shows a potential problem with the shingles not hanging about 1 inch past the drip edge. The surface tension of the water will cause the water to travel backwards to the fascia/ eavestrough. The eavestrough is not always tucked up under the drip edge as shown because the eavestrough slowly lowers down to get proper slope. This can cause leaking behind the eavestrough and may require additional flashing work to make sure the water goes where it is supposed to.  See our flashing blog post: http://torontoeavestroughing.blogspot.ca/2010/07/flashing-what-is-it.html

 

Here are some videos we have done up relating to drip edge:

 



 

Visit our website at www.eavestrough.ca for more information.

Choosing the best material for eavestroughs.

Eavestroughs can be made out of a few different materials. The most common materials are aluminum, steel, copper and vinyl. Aluminum is by far the most widely used material in North America because it can be formed into a seamless eavestrough and will not rust. Steel and copper can also be formed into a seamless eavestrough but steel is prone to rust and copper is at a much higher price point. Vinyl eavestroughs cannot be fed through seamless eavestrough machines. Because of this they are usually purchased in 10 foot lengths at hardware stores. It's rare to see a professional using this product and is usually purchased by homeowners attempting to do it themselves. Recently, we completely stripped a home of all its vinyl soffit fascia and gutters. You can view a video on some of the pitfalls of choosing vinyl:




Aluminum also has many advantages. It comes in a wide variety of colors and is compatible with a wide range of leafguards which are also made of aluminum. Aluminum gutters come in mainly 2 different thicknesses so it's important to choose the one that best suits your needs.

The thickness of .023 gauge is the most common thickness for our region and allows for the widest colour selection. We install about 95 percent of our eavestroughs with this thickness. It is the thickness we used in the very top picture which shows us hanging from it. Keep in mind that the leafguard we used called T-Rex greatly responsible for making it so durable. This thickness is more than adequate for most residential applications. The .023 gauge can also be made more durable by installing more brackets used to fasten the eavestrough to the home. I see many eavestroughs in the Toronto that look good from the ground but upon looking in from above there were very few fasteners used. The type and number of fasteners is as or more important than the thickness of the aluminum.

The thicker version is .032 gauge and we recommend for homes or businesses that have steel roofs and have problems with snow slides. Often with these roofs, a ton of snow can release at once and play havoc with the eavestroughs. When the T-Rex leafguard system is combined with this thickness it creates a very strong gutter but can be no match for tons of ice/snow sliding of at once. Therefore its very important to have the roofing company install snow stops to prevent the snow from sliding off. Most companies will not warranty damage due to snow slides on steel roofs. The .032 gauge is not as common as the .023 and therefore due to market demand it is available in fewer colors.

If you have any questions or comments to this post or any other please leave a response and I will do my best to respond promptly. We service Scarbrorough and North York as well as other areas in and around Toronto.

Also I do not mean to confuse you when I alternate between eavestrough and gutter. They mean the same thing. Gutter is probably more common in the U.S. than here in Canada.

Visit our website www.eavestrough.ca

Proper Slope

It's essential to use a level when installing eavestroughs. Most homeowners are aware that there should not be pooling water in their eavestroughs. This creates overflows and swamp-like conditions that mosquitos love to hang out and lay eggs in. No one would want this but unfortunately many homes in Toronto have this situation. It's of epidemic proportions. The good thing is, it's completely avoidable.

The use of a level when installing your new system will take all the the guess work out of things. It seems that many installers think that they have a good eye and can tell when the eavestroughs are sloped in the right direction. Well I see the proof everyday that this is not the case as we get numerous calls from homeowners complaining about how xyz company did their eavestroughs and they are full of water. I also see it almost everyday I go out to see homeowners who want a new system.

There have been numerous times we talk to a homeowner who has had a company install their eavestroughs with slope problems. They call them back fix it and they still don't get it right the second time. If the company had used a level this embarrassment wouldn't have happened!

Not using a level and eyeballing the install will create problems because the houses often do not sit perfectly level in the first place. A house could be an inch or two higher on one side than the other and it's highly unlikely anyone would ever know just by looking. This can affect a person's frame of reference. It can give the illusion that eavestroughs are sloping in the proper direction.

I think the main reason why levels are not used is because it does slow the install process down significantly by times. With most of the Toronto eavestrough market consisting of subcontractors getting paid piece work this type of attention to detail is to hard on the pocket book and is neglected. We at North Shore Eavestroughing do things differently. All our team members are highly knowledgeable on proper install methods and paid hourly. We take pride in the fact that we do not subcontract any of our work. This is not common in our industry. If you own a home in Scarborough, North York as well as other areas in and near Toronto, and would like a quote, please gve us a call. 416.615.0443

What Is Seamless Eavestrough?

The success of your eavestrough project will depend highly on the tools and equipment the eavestrough contractor has available. The old saying that you are only as good as your tools definitely applies here. In order to install seamless eavestroughs on your home we need to bring a seamless eavestrough forming machine to your home. We set a tightly wrapped roll of aluminum on the machine that may be up to 600 feet long. We feed it in to a series of rollers and out comes a seamless eavestrough. We form a eavestrough that is the entire length of your home and cut it to the appropriate length.

Generally, this is done on the street in front of your home as lots of space is needed. Now we could potentially run out a piece 600 feet long but the maximum length of a seamless eavestrough should limited to about 75 feet. Anything beyond this length could develop major problems due to expansion and contraction issues due to hot and cold weather. The benefit to you choosing this system is there will be no unnecessary seams or overlaps that can lead to leaks over the years. In years gone by, contractors would bring predetermined lengths of 10 or 20 feet gutters to your home and patch them together. This was when seamless gutter machines were less common.

The only place that we will have to make a seam or overlap is when there is a corner on the home and the gutter has to change direction. This is unavoidable with today's technology as the seamless machines will only create a gutter in a perfectly straight line. A corner requires a proper hand fitted overlap with a proper sealant that is specifically designed for gutter.
This is the most critical part of the install which must be controlled with specific standards for craftsmanship and a high quality sealant and backed up with a 10 year warranty for your protection.

Most houses being troughed in the GTA are being installed with seamless machines. They have been available for approx 25 years so it's not new cutting edge technology. The only thing that has changed is that when machines were first on the scene the size was primarily 4 inch, which is obsolete today in favor of the 5 inch machine which is more than adequate for most all residential applications when installed properly.

I want to stress the importance of having the proper equipment to perform the job. However I think that homeowners should be wary of companies that over promote what I consider to be old technology. These machines have been in use for 25 years and some companies promote them like they were unveiled yesterday. My point is that there are so many other critical installation factors like proper slope, the fastening system to secure the eavestrough to the home and size of the downpipes. This is just scratching the surface.

When we come in to do an analysis the old system homeowners are surprised at how much we can effectively improve your rain water management system. It sometimes requires a leap of faith on their part because the only frame of reference they may have is their old, undersized, water pooling, leaf corrupted eavestrough. Lucky for them we have solutions for all of this and have been doing it every day for about 15 years in Scarborough, North York and other parts in and near Toronto.
Visit http://www.eavestrough.ca/.

Facelift On Wartime Bungalow

We were able to give this home a makeover. All the old aluminum was stripped off to reveal the wood that was original to the home. Its important to remove all the old material and get down to a good solid base. It gives the opportunity to inspect the wood and check for rot and make sure the surface is straight as not to compromise the integrity of the new materials to be installed over top. Lucky for the homeowner who does stained glass, a round window in the gable was discovered under the old siding. She now has a new project to complete. Once everything is determined to be solid the new product can be applied.

We had to do a combination of vinyl and aluminum to get the look the homeowner had envisioned. We used aluminum for the soffit, fascia, eavestrough and capping. Vinyl was used for the horizontal siding on the gable and for the vertical siding under the soffits to resemble board and batten.


This project was definitely more labour intensive than most projects that we take on. A project with this detail costs about $7500. for the complete bungalow due to the extensive capping work. If you need any work of this nature it's best to contact us when we are in our off season. As spring approaches we become very busy with our eavestrough and leafguard. However if you are not time sensitive we would be happy to book any of your small siding projects in the winter and early spring. Feel free to contact us for availability. We take the time to do it right. If your home is in Scarborough, North York or other areas of the GTA, you need a discriminating contractor who pays attention to the details and quality is more important than a low price we will be a great fit.




















Visit our website at http://www.eavestrough.ca/

Why do light coloured eavestroughs get streaks?

Many people ask why eavestroughs tend to get dark lines down the front. It usually becomes noticeable about a year or two after the new eavestroughs are installed. They are most noticeable on white eavestroughs however they also show up on lighter coloured eavestroughs as well.

These stains are called tiger stripes and are a result of dirt and pollution that settles out of the air. It settles on the top edge of the eavestrough and when it gets wet droplets form and run down the front carrying the dirt.

This is what causes the staining. It seems that the stripes do start to become less evident as many years go by and the paint slowly fades. Unfortunately there is no special brand of paint or aluminum that will resist tiger stripes.

Thankfully, we have a new variation of our main leafguard, the T-Rex. It works much the same way as our regular leafguard but has a small drip edge as part of the system. It will prevent the water from touching the front of the eavestrough allowing it to fall harmlessly to the ground. The result is a streak free seamless eavestrough. Also this 5800 series leafguard is even stronger than the regular T-Rex as it is of a thicker gauge aluminum. If interested, we will give this product to you at an additional $3. per foot as compared to our regular T-Rex leafguard. However it is noticeable from the ground so it must be color matched to the color of your eavestrough. We service Scarborough, North York or other parts of the GTA. Give us a call if you are interested in the products mentioned in this blog.

Cleaning of the eavestrough every year or two will keep them looking new and shiny.

Visit our website at www.eavestrough.ca

LED Recessed Soffit Lighting/Potlights

These highly efficient 2 watt fixtures mount neatly into your soffit. They really transform the look of your home! It is an exciting opportunity which enables you to add curb appeal, security lighting and light for entertaining.

The picture below shows how a combination of fixtures work depending if you need to flood the walkway as shown and use a tighter beam of light the highlight and wash the brick and house number. Its always good to highlight the front entrance to guide visitors in the right direction and keep the steps safely lit.

Soffit lighting can add security to any dark areas and light entertaining areas in a stylish way. All this can happen automatically, every single night!

10 benefits of our LED system:

1. 100,000 hour life expectancy which will give 20 plus years of use. No light bulbs to change!

2. Available in new warm white to blend with any traditional lighting you may have.(All pictures in this post are of the cool white)

3. Each fixture is only 2 watts but powerful and will consume less than a dollar of power over the entire year.

4. Very little heat is generated so are less likely to attract insects.

5. Completely automated with a timer that automatically adjusts for the change in daylight so you will have to do nothing but enjoy!

6. Feel guilt free with a recessed soffit lighting system that is on all night due to low power consumption.

7. A high quality Canadian product built to last. Many LED products are offshore products of lesser quality.

8. Can be mounted in areas that conventional soffit lights will not work, giving more flexibility.

9. Can be used for up lighting and down lighting and can be used for landscape lighting.

10. Does not require any rewiring of your home and can be installed into existing soffits.

The picture below shows the cool white 1.5 watt( this home has the older version, all are now updated to 2 watts) flood type fixtures that spread light over a broad area for entertaining.

These fixtures can be mounted to in the yard to highlight trees and shrubs.

If you are handy, can do the installation yourself and would like to see pricing direct from the manufacturer then click the link.  www.delphitech.com

This short video gives a brief demonstration of how they are mounted into the soffits:



This video is more information on how to light a basic entrance and run wiring in existing soffits:




Below is what the LED recessed fixture looks like during the day (mind you the light will not be on during the day due to the automatic timer). Its small and the best thing about it is the light pivots in its housing so the angle of light in or out from the home can be adjusted to preference.

Below is a actual picture of the LED fixture and housing so it can be installed like a pot light / recessed. Most of our clients really like the warm white however we have done some landscape fixtures using the cool LEDs to really show the true color of what they wanted highlighted.

Below we show the 5 amp power panel that will convert your 120 volt power to 12 volt and allow for safe low voltage wiring that you do not need an electrician for.

Below is the Intermatic DT620CL timer. It will allow the system to operate automatically and will adjust each day for the sunrise and sunset times so the lights are always coming on at the right time. It has a battery backup so if the power goes out it will not loose its programming.

A quick clip of an entrance way we completed. The camera did not take the night video as good as I would have liked but it will help give you a visual.

Each light will cost from  $200.00 to $300.00 installed if recessed like a pot light depending on the level of difficulty. Visit http://www.eavestrough.ca/