The galvanized metal gutters and downspouts on our home are deteriorating and many sections need to be replaced. ... as you would with PVC piping. Shop for vinyl gutter systems at lumberyards, ...

Q. Just had new gutters installed on our renovated farmhouse. One section has no outlet, no end cap and no downspout. I say this is wrong as water then ice will dam up in and around the gutter and ...

Replace your aluminum downspouts with no-seam vinyl ones (you'll probably need to do this anyway, ice forming in an AL downspout almost always pops the seam, rendering the downspout useless.)<BR ...

The gutters come in lengths of 10 feet, but you probably will need to buy inside and outside corners, end caps, downspout assemblies, slip connectors, chalk line, etc.

A Better Home: For a gutter system, think design, not just water control From downspouts to rain chains, hopper heads to scuppers, options let owners add to the character of their home.

The downspouts help you size the gutters. Typical downspouts come in two sizes: 2x3-inch downspouts fit 5-inch gutters and 3x4-inch downspouts fit 6-inch gutters.

Downspout lines are not extended across the roof simply because they are not attractive. When you have a long run from one gutter to the next, a large pipe running down the roof is a hideous sight.

And worse, she learned from her roofing contractor – who hadn’t done the other work – that the gutters were too small for the runoff. The excess water further eroded her 20-year-old roof.

“Gutters and downspouts serve as a home’s rainwater management system,” says architect Craig Newick, owner of Newick Architects in New Haven, Conn.