These things are very closely related to the roof, and like it should be
of the best material.
A tin gutter hung at the eaves has the advantage of being cheap; if made
of good material and put up with good fastenings is durable, and suitable
for cheap houses and some portions of expensive ones.
In all cases where the fastenings are to hang from the roof, the gutter
should be put up before the roof covering is put on, so the fastenings
can be secured to the roof boards instead of on top of the tin, slate or
wood shingles. If the fastenings are nailed on top of the roof covering,
the nails soon become loose, and the gutter sags. The tinsmith will
charge no more for doing his work before the roofers commence, but it
may delay you a day. Paint the gutter inside as well as out, and see
that it has sufficient fall to clear itself of water. If you prefer the
gutter on the roof near the eaves, let the sheets of which it is made
be of sufficient width to extend far enough up under the roof covering
to prevent water (when the gutter is full) from overflowing at the back
instead of over at the front; this is a common error. In every instance
let this top gutter be outside the wall line, so in case of leakage the
“drip” is outside the walls. Gutters of this kind, and all gutters that
are soldered and firmly fastened to roof boards (not hanging gutters),
are liable to crack by expansion and contraction of the metal; we
therefore say, never put a gutter inside the wall lines if they can be
put outside. Valleys formed by the joining of two roofs at an angle are
usually steep enough to allow the metal sheets to lap on each other and
shed water without soldering. Such sheets are usually made twenty-eight
inches long. Their shortness prevents cracking from expansion and
contraction even if nailed to roof boards. Remember that all trash or
dirt that settles on the roof eventually finds its way into the valleys,
gutters and down pipes, and in a manner scours their surface; for this
reason they receive several fold more wear than the same amount of
exposed surface of the roof, consequently, should be of better material.
Few people are aware of the amount of dirt and sand which is carried by
the wind and deposited on their house-tops; for this reason, if the water
is used for drinking or cooking purposes, the first water that flows
from the roof during a rain storm should not be allowed to flow into the
cistern.
It is always best to have good sized down pipes. As a rule, for down
pipes from hanging gutters, let the circumference of the pipe equal the
girt of the gutter, and the gutter should be large enough to convey
the water which falls on the roof during the heaviest storms. Use only
curved elbows where a turn in the pipe is to be made, and at the foot
or discharge end. Curved elbows are now made by machinery; they are
stronger, more durable and cost no more than the common hand-made acute
kind.
We have spoken of good material; but what is good material when Tin
Plate is spoken of? The quality of Tin Plate depends on its toughness,
and the weight of Tin or Terne coating on its surface. The first is
easily determined by bending back and forth with the hand, the latter is
not, unless handled by an expert. The following test will determine the
difference, provided you have different qualities. If the qualities are
the same, or nearly so, the difference will not be distinguishable.
Take two pieces of different quality of Tin or Terne plates, say two
inches square, grease one side with any kind of animal fat; then with a
pair of plyers, hold them separately over a gas or candle jet with one
corner obliquely downward, and the amount of fusible metal which flows
from them will determine the difference between good and common.