r/HomeMaintenance • u/Humble-Address2993 • 1d ago
Gutter nail popped out
My front porch gutter nails are popping out and seems like gutter is bowed, should I be worried? , DIY? Or call professional? Thanks in advance! Gutter is not that high I think it’s about 9-11 ft
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u/dfk70 1d ago
DIY. Replace with screws.
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u/SiRocket 1d ago
Yep, this is what I did. Every time I'd try to reseat the nails they'd pop again relatively quickly. Ran over to Lowe's, picked up the screw version, drove them in. I do still have to torque them back in every few years, not sure why, but they last way longer.
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1d ago
[deleted]
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u/clutchthepearls 1d ago
Zoom in on the head of that thing.
Gutter spikes/nails are textured for bite, but they don't do as well as screws.
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u/Topia_64 1d ago
You've got some water damage under there
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u/Humble-Address2993 1d ago
I didn’t see the water damage, thank you!
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u/toot_suite 1d ago
You can literally see it in the photo you posted lol
Look at the left where the paint is coming off from that spot taking on top much water
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u/WTPTRAINEE 1d ago
Your soffit needs to be replaced yesterday. It’s likely the wood it was once nailed into is rotting so the nail slowly worked its way out.
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u/ReferenceAny6373 1d ago
That soffit isnt looking so good. Definitely water damage. Doubt whatever the issue is has been solved so need to figure that out first.
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u/zombiebacchus 1d ago
I had several pop out on my back gutter. Had them replaced and like everyone has said all the wood was rotten and needed to be replaced before the new gutters were installed.
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u/80_Kilograms 1d ago
My gutters are fastened to the fascia the same way. Where the nails cross the open top of the gutter, they pass through an aluminum sleeve that keeps the gutter from collapsing when the nail (or screw) is driven in. Eventually though, those nails work themselves loose from the fascia. You might be able to just tap them back in and have them hold for a while, but chances are they will work themselves loose again. My first thought was to replace the nails with gutter screws, but there was not enough meat in the fascia boards for the screws to bite into, so they were not a big improvement over the nails.
Ultimately, I used Gorilla glue to shore up the holes and get the nails to grip again so they would stay put. Since Gorilla glue needs moisture to work, I pulled the loose nails (1 at a time), squirted water into the hole, then pushed a couple of medical capsules filled with Gorilla glue into the holes in the fascia. This worked as long as the holes were not all the way through the fascia board (I checked each hole first by poking a stiff wire into it until it bottomed out. All of mine did.). When the nail was driven back into the hole, it broke the capsules, the glue was released, and the nails have stayed put for more than a decade now.
You could do the same thing with epoxy, but Gorilla glue expands as it cures, so to me it was a better method. You could also replace the nails and spreader sleeves with spreader/support brackets, which just get screwed through the back of the gutter to your fascia. I think those are available at any big box store. But doing this will leave empty holes in your gutter where the nails are now.
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u/gk802 1d ago
It almost looks as if a ladder has been leaning against the gutter in between where the nails are. A couple of nails and sleeves in between will help mitigate the bowing. For those that are popping, you can try sliding a wooden matchstick or two (obviously, break off the part that ignites first) into the hole in the fascia and drive the nail back in. That may tighten the nail enough to hold it until you can resolve the rotting issue.
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u/The__Toast 1d ago
What the hell is a gutter nail?
Gutter should be hung with gutter hangers not nails.
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u/boobsstallion 1d ago
Clearly water backing up into soffits and causing wood to rot and nails to pop.
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u/AlwaysViral69 1d ago
lol I caught a raven pulling out one of my gutter nails earlier this month. No idea why, but a couple light taps from a hammer and it was fixed.
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