Are real gutters possible? Water runs down the sides

Billy123 · Sun Oct 13, 2013 7:04 pm

It has been raining for days here in the mid Atlantic region. All the rain has showed me a lot of spots that are leaking on/in my walls. It seems that the rain running down the sides of the trailer is coming in where the screws hold the siding on to name a few.

Can I hang real gutters on this thing?

Thanks in advance.
Billy

calderhill · Sun Oct 13, 2013 9:11 pm

Water running down the sides of anything outside when it rains I believe would be inevitable. Just the other day here in mid-state NY, the rain was blowing down sideways for quite awhile. My trailer has a gazillion screws, no gutters and no water entry. What I'm saying is take care of the water entry first.

ponch37300 · Mon Oct 14, 2013 11:26 am

Depending on the roof style gutters could be an option.

But I agree with calderhill that you need to fix the problem areas first. Siding is made to get wet and shed the water away with out leaking. If you have leaks something has failed. Even if the gutters direct most of the rain water away from the siding there will still be some water that gets to the siding and find it's way in the problem areas.

Billy123 · Wed Oct 16, 2013 4:44 am

Okay guys understood... So it seems I will need to buy new screws for the siding. Any ideas / good prices on what to buy? Are we talking screws with neoprene washers? I am not really sure what to use to fix this...

calderhill · Wed Oct 16, 2013 7:05 pm

Since I completely remodeled my single wide, I had it easy looking for holes in the skin. Removing walls and insulation revealed all. Kinda obvious with the sun shining through. Holes but no leaks that I could see. All the holes seemed to be missing siding screws or where something was screwed on and then removed. I fixed all from the inside with metal tape and/or silicone caulk and replaced the needed screws on the outside. The skin was not exactly pulled tight to the studs! I used the same hex head screws as original since I filled up the holes from the inside. I would use the neoprene sealing screws if just working from the outside or fill the hole with caulk. Our local big box stores have everything you need. A new coat of paint on the whole thing and the neighbors are jealous!
Let me add that water leaks may lead you astray since it can wander all over the place. Make sure it is not finding its way down the wall from a leak in the roof.