How can I puncture an eaves trough full of water and not get wet?

Question

I bought my first house this past spring and I am fixing it up.

My property has a tear down type garage on it that I'm currently using as storage. (I'll get a new garage eventually at some point but not today) The foundation is cracked and I believe it shifted. It looks like one corner sunk and now the eave that drained out one way now mostly flows the other way and just makes a pool.

Well the heat of summer is on and there are mosquitoes everywhere and I figure the eave must be a fantastic breeding ground for the blood suckers so I need a way of making a hole big enough to drain the eave without making myself and my tools a mess in the process.

I don't really care where the water goes afterwards as the garage is detached and away from the house and I'm just going to level the garage in 5 years or so anyways.

How can I make a hole in my eaves trough?

Anything else I should consider?

Why are you eaves full of water? Thats the problem that needs solving — Steven, Aug 06 '12 at 01:06

score 3 · Answer 1 · answered Aug 06 '12 at 01:57

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I think your best bet is to install a downspout at the other end to drain the water and direct it away from the garage foundation. I'd imagine that water just dripping out of a hole would come with some problems of its own.

If you want to drain it while you work on it then you could use a shop-vac to vacuum up all the water.

answered Aug 06 '12 at 01:57

Steven

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Hole saw to drill from above, properly sized downspout ferrule goes in the hole and install a proper downspout. Fix all the problems in one go and be done with it. – Fiasco Labs Nov 18 '13 at 16:25

score 3 · Accepted Answer · answered Aug 06 '12 at 02:05

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I'm assuming you want a temporary fix, and you're not concerned about water near the foundation.

Drill a small hole in the bottom of the gutter. It won't squirt very much water, but will still drain the gutter.

If there is a lot of debris in the gutter, the hole will clog up pretty fast. Reach in from above and clear the hole as many times as needed.

Once it's drained, enlarge the hole, or drill a 2nd, much larger hole. Or remove the whole gutter.

answered Aug 06 '12 at 02:05

Jay Bazuzi

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He could also get on the roof of the garage above the water and drill a couple of holes in the gutter. or maybe wear rain gear! – shirlock homes Aug 06 '12 at 10:08

score 2 · Answer 3 · answered Aug 06 '12 at 01:01

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Wait until it hasn't rained for a week or so. The water should have evaporated and the gutter should be dry.

answered Aug 06 '12 at 01:01

mikes

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Unfortunately we get summer storms almost every night. :/ – Biff MaGriff Aug 06 '12 at 01:10
Grab the lip with a pair of channel lock pliers or a pipe wrench and slowly bend the gutter down allowing the water to spillout. – mikes Aug 06 '12 at 01:14

How can I puncture an eaves trough full of water and not get wet?

3 Answers3