Gutter spouts

[Country Campers]

After coming home from a recent camping trip we found a gutter spout laying on the ground beside the camper , not sure when it fell off but glad it was at home.
When looking at where it had came from I noticed that it was only held in with some clear silicone. Wondering why these are not attached with a small screw.
If any one has had this issue how did you re-attach it? Did you just use the silicone method? Or silicone and a small screw? If you used a screw did you put in under the gutter or right thru the gutter and the spout.
Of course there should be ample silicone to prevent any leakage into the side wall.
Thanks in advance for your help.

Brian

[TucsonJim]

When I had a tree break one off on my Keystone Cougar, it was installed with both caulk and one screw through the middle of it. I replaced it the same way and it held fine until I sold it.

Jim

[JCR GD]

I added one on mine. I just used silicone since I couldn’t get to the hole for a screw and it’s holding fine. Also if it gets hung up on something hopefully it will just pop loose instead of tearing something up.

[Gyrogearloose]

Also if it gets hung up on something hopefully it will just pop loose instead of tearing something up.

Agreeded, like a tear off. If you want something more perminate 3m industrial urethanes are great. The boating world is probably familiar with 3m 5200. This is, slow cure, available in different colors, perminete, above or below waterline, flexable super strong. https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-...4857497&rt=rud

3m 560 product is a urethane fastener replacement, very much like the urethane adhesives that hold windshields in, also similar to some sikaflex products: https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-...3010992&rt=rud

560 is amazing stuff, I used to 3/8" fiberglass rock climbing walls to powder coated steel trailer frames with this, along with a few pop rivits to hold It in place while curing. When i was specing this stuff out, i bonded a piece of fiberglass to a piece of 2x4 powdercoated steel tube and did a pull test with forklift forks. The 560 did not fail, failure was fibreglass riping and powdercoat tearing off the steel.

if any of these are used, pre clean with lacquer thinner, or denatured alcohol and a little scuffing won't hurt.

Pat

[Cate&Rob]

The biggest problem will be getting all the old silicone off. Nothing sticks to cured silicone. Not new silicone or even 5200. Even a film of silicone that you can't see will be enough to prevent a bond. WD40 works pretty well for removing silicone from flat "scrubbable" surfaces, but not so well for getting old silicone out of nooks and crannies. I have not had much luck with the "silicone dissolvers" either.

For these reasons, I would tend towards a mechanical fastener to hold the gutter spout in place. Then, the bed of sealer that you put under and around it, only has to act like a gasket to keep the water out.

Rob

[OffToHavasu]

Mineral Spirits works great for removing silicone.