Kent Gutter Questions, Answered

The usual cause is a long run draining to a single 2-by-3 downspout whose outlet has been jammed by wet bigleaf maple leaves. The run itself may be fine. Adding a second downspout, upsizing the outlet to 3-by-4, or fitting a guard over that stretch usually ends it; if the run also holds standing water, the pitch needs correcting as well, which is a repair visit.

Twice a year under trees: once in late November after the maples have finished dropping, and once in spring after the fir cones, pollen, and seed have come down. A house with no trees within fifty feet can go once a year. Micro-mesh guards stretch either schedule considerably but do not end it.

Both. Moss grows in a trough that stays wet and shaded, and moss on the shingles above slides into it. Oregon State's extension pathologist notes moss needs shade and moisture, so a draining gutter and trimmed trees do most of the prevention. Zinc sulfate treatments work on the roof but should not be used with copper gutters or flashing.

Kent lists connection to a private or public storm system as one of four options for roof water, after extending the downspout to lawn and infiltrating through a trench or drywell. A public tie-in involves the city. The city also warns that buried downspout lines clog with leaves when gutters are not cleaned, so the gutters have to be maintained once the line goes underground. The county's splash block and trench numbers are on the downspouts and drainage page.

Swapping or repairing gutters on an existing house is ordinarily maintenance, in the same category as re-roofing or re-siding, which King County lists as exempt from a building permit. The City of Kent's permit center publishes its own list of exempt work and a contractor working the city will know it. The one piece that can involve the city is tying a downspout into the public storm system.

Washington registers contractors through Labor and Industries rather than licensing them by exam; a gutter contractor is a specialty category and must carry a $15,000 bond and general liability insurance. Ask for the registration number on the bid and look it up on L&I's Verify a Contractor page, which shows the bond, insurance, and any actions on file.

Aluminum runs twenty to thirty years, galvanized steel about the same until the zinc coating wears through and it rusts, and copper fifty or more. The hangers and sealant give out first: spikes loosen in fascia that is wet 156 days a year, and corner sealant is good for five to ten years before it wants redoing. When metal fails rather than fasteners, that is a replacement.

Aluminum for nearly every house: it does not rust, it is the lightest on the fascia, it is the cheapest, and most local installers form it seamless on site. Steel is stronger but rusts at scratches and seams in a climate this wet. Copper outlasts both and costs several times as much; it is an appearance decision. Near the Sound in Des Moines or Burien, salt air is one more reason to stay with aluminum. Per-foot figures are in the cost guide.

A sudden event such as a fallen limb or a windstorm is the kind of loss policies typically cover; rust, clogs, sagging, and the water damage that follows years of overflow are treated as maintenance and excluded. Most gutter jobs are under a typical deductible anyway, so ask the contractor for a number before deciding whether to involve the insurer.

After, or on the same job. The roofer sets the drip edge that the gutter has to tuck under, walks on the eaves, and drops tear-off debris into whatever is hanging there. If the roof is within a couple of years of replacement, ask the gutter contractor to quote the work sequenced behind it; hanging new gutters under a roof that is about to come off pays for them twice. More on sequencing under replacement.

Three causes, in order of likelihood: the drip edge is missing or too short, so water follows the shingle edge back instead of dropping into the trough; the gutter is hung too low or too far out from the roof edge; or the back of the gutter has separated from the fascia at a spike. All three leave a dark stripe on the board and rot it from behind. A repair visit resets the hangers and adds a gutter apron flashing where the drip edge falls short.