Boone Gutter Replacement & Gutter Guard Installation

Hangers, spikes, and what holds a gutter up

Older systems were hung with spikes and ferrules: a long nail driven through the front of the gutter, through a sleeve, and into the fascia. It worked, and it fails predictably. Aluminum expands and contracts with temperature, and that movement works the spike loose a fraction at a time until the gutter sags between fasteners. Every homeowner who has tapped a gutter spike back in with a hammer has experienced the whole life cycle of the design. Hidden hangers replaced them for good reason. They clip inside the gutter and screw into the fascia, so the fastener is in shear rather than being pulled straight out, and a screw resists backing out in a way a smooth nail does not. Nothing shows from the ground. Spacing matters as much as type. Two feet is typical, closer where snow and ice loads are heavier or where the run is long. A system with hangers three or four feet apart will sag between them under a full trough of water regardless of how good the gutter itself is. When comparing quotes, hanger type and spacing are fair questions and the answers differ more than you would expect.