Gutter Hanger Types: Why Plastic Hangers Always Fail
Everything Gutter president Jimmy DeHart Sr shows what happens when gutters are hung with cheap plastic brackets, and explains why aluminum reinforced hangers at the correct spacing are the only hardware that belongs on a gutter system.
A homeowner called Everything Gutter about a problem that sounded complicated: gutters overflowing in some sections, pulling away from the fascia board in others, and water damming up instead of draining toward the downspouts. The homeowner could not figure out whether the gutters needed to be replaced entirely or whether there was a simpler fix.
Jimmy DeHart Sr went up on the roof to diagnose the issue and found a problem that is common enough to be predictable. The gutters themselves were in decent shape, seamless aluminum with no major corrosion or physical damage. But nearly every plastic hanger securing them to the house had failed. The gutters were not the problem. The hardware holding them up was.
Why Plastic Gutter Hangers Fail
Jimmy DeHart is direct about plastic gutter hangers: he gives them one star, if that. Plastic hangers are exposed to the full range of outdoor conditions. Summer heat pushes attic-adjacent fascia temperatures past 100 degrees. Winter cold makes the plastic brittle. Constant UV radiation degrades the material. Over time, the plastic develops micro-cracks and eventually fails, either cracking through entirely or losing its grip on the screw that fastens it to the fascia.
When Jimmy DeHart inspected the customer's gutters, he found the hangers spaced as far as seven feet apart in some sections, far beyond what any manufacturer recommends. Even quality hangers would struggle with that spacing under a full rain load. With cheap plastic hangers at that distance, failure was a matter of when, not if. Every single plastic hanger he checked had failed. The gutters were essentially resting on whatever residual attachment remained rather than being properly secured.
A failed hanger does not just let the gutter sag. A sagging gutter loses its slope, which means water stops flowing toward the downspout and starts pooling. Pooling water adds weight, which stresses the remaining hangers and accelerates their failure. Standing water also collects debris that would otherwise wash through. And a gutter pulling away from the fascia creates a gap where water can run behind the gutter and down the side of the house, leading to fascia rot, soffit damage, and foundation issues.
What Should Be Used Instead
Jimmy DeHart's recommendation is straightforward: aluminum reinforced hangers, sometimes called quick-screw hangers or hidden hangers. These are metal brackets that slide into the gutter lip on one side and screw directly into the fascia on the other. Because they are aluminum, they do not rust, crack, or degrade from UV exposure. Because they are rigid, they hold the gutter securely at the correct slope even under a full rain load.
The installation of reinforced aluminum hangers is not significantly more involved than plastic ones. The material cost difference is small enough that choosing plastic hangers over aluminum on a gutter installation is saving perhaps 20 to 50 dollars on an average-sized house. For that modest savings, the homeowner gets hangers that are likely to fail within years rather than decades. Proper hanger spacing matters as much as hanger material. Most manufacturers recommend hangers every 24 to 36 inches. At seven-foot spacing, what Jimmy DeHart found on the service call, the gutter is essentially unsupported between hangers.
Other Issues Found During the Inspection
While diagnosing the hanger problem, Jimmy DeHart identified two additional issues. End caps had never been properly sealed, or their sealant had degraded. End caps need to be sealed with quality gutter sealant to prevent water from dripping out the ends, and that sealant does not last forever. Inspecting and resealing end caps is a maintenance item that should happen every few years. The second issue was damming, a section of gutter where debris, standing water, and the loss of proper slope had created a blockage that forced water to back up and spill over the gutter edge.
The good news is that these problems are repairable. The gutters on this house were seamless aluminum, a durable material. The channels were clean, the seams were intact, and the downspouts were functional. The gutters did not need to be replaced. They needed the failed hangers replaced with proper aluminum ones, the spacing corrected, the end caps resealed, and a thorough cleaning. For a few hundred dollars in hardware and labor, the homeowner got gutters that would function correctly for years, versus several thousand dollars for a full replacement that was not necessary.
For more on gutter maintenance, the guide to fixing water leaks behind gutters covers drip edge and leak prevention. The plastic vs vinyl gutter systems guide compares gutter materials. Homeowners in the West Grove, Pennsylvania area can reach Everything Gutter at everythinggutter.com. In all other areas click here for Gutter Materials and Installation or Call: (725) 278-6174
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