PUTTING UP CHRISTMAS LIGHTS?

Where to nail your lights or alternatives instead of nailing, how to avoid roof leaks, clearing drains properly

Hi Robert,

I’m ready to put up my Christmas lights, but had the house painted this year — so I’m trying to avoid putting nails into the fascia board again.

I see that there are many different type of light clips available, some go under the roof tiles and others clip around them. Our fascia board goes just about to the edge of the roof tile, so there is nowhere for the base of the clip to grab onto, with regard to the clips that go over the tile. I’ve had people tell me not to use the type that go under the tile, because it can cause damage to the layers of roofing and ultimately cause leaks. This is on the edge of the roof, can these possibly do such damage?

I’m going to go with your recommendation, as I see that you’ve given sound advice to many before me.

Thank you in advance, for your help and expertise,

Mark B.

Mark,

I have very strong opinions about manipulating roofing materials in any way.

Over the years, I’ve seen the simplest of things cause roof leaks, including this very situation.

I know there are plenty of options out there for hanging Christmas lights, and my first choice would be to use gutter clips if you have gutters installed. If your fascia board goes very close to the edge of the roof, why not hang the lights at the base of the fascia? They have clips for this application, too, I believe, just look online.

If you go to one particular store you may not see all options available so I suggest doing your research online and making your decision that way. You’ll be able to find a retailer or just ordering them online, and normally, you’ll have them within a few days.

I would put a nail in the fascia before I’d manipulate the roofing materials in any way, but I’m confident that there is a clip available for your application. Another thing to do is to drive your neighborhood. Most often homes are built similarly, and if anyone else has their lights up near you, you can either see for yourself or question them on what they’re using.

Best of luck to you on this and Merry Christmas, Robert

Hi Robert,

Thank you for taking my call and giving me the time needed for me to clearly explain the issue at hand. Your advice was spot on and we are well armed for the rains now.

To recap, we have had years of water intrusion issues at one particular unit on our property, due to what was previously unknown reasons.

Due to my call with you, your review of my photos and your recommendation, we have installed the recommended sump pump and the amount of water flowing to that area was reduced by about 60 percent to 70 percent.

The last rain we had was enough water to cause additional concern by the unit owner because water pooled near, however no water entered, their unit.

Following my second call with you and this information, we have enlisted the plumber’s help once again and found that the area drain was not only not sloped properly, but was also impacted with mud.

This was after we paid another contractor to clear the area drains — clearly, we need to contact them for their poor quality work. No wonder the lesser amount of water was still pooling in the area. Now that the drains have been properly cleared, sloped and tested, we are good to go. I can’t tell you how happy we are to have you as a resource for your knowledge. Thank you from our entire HOA, for what you do to help others.

You’ve saved us thousands of dollars, you’re the best!

Richard T.

Richard,

I’m happy to know that my experience chasing water has helped your HOA so much.

There is always a way to solve a problem, and when you’ve chased water for as long as I have, you tend to understand it and know where the issues stem from, just from the experience.

Please let me know if you need anything else, I’m happy to be doing what I’m doing here, Robert

Robert Lamoureux has 38 years of experience as a general contractor, with separate licenses in electrical and plumbing contracting. He owns IMS Construction Inc. in Valencia. His opinions are his own, not necessarily those of The Signal. Opinions expressed in this column are not meant to replace the recommendations of a qualified contractor after that contractor has made a thorough visual inspection. Email questions to Robert at robert@ imsconstruction.com.

Signal File Photos (Left) Having two or more people helping set up lights can be beneficial in both time and safety. (Right) Care should be taken not only in how you place the lights, but where you attach them to your roof or chimney.