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To be really efficient, gutters and down pipes must be kept clean
and free of holes, sagging or buckling. A gutter choked with leaves
will soon clog and water can then spill over the fascia board, eventually
rotting it and damaging the house.
The gutters should be cleaned at least twice a year, more frequently
if you have many trees around the house. A preventative measure
is to insert wire leaf strainers just inside the top of the down
pipe openings. You can also cover the gutter along its length with
a mesh cover, usually made of plastic and sold in rolls of about
7.5 meters x 150mm wide. The upper edge slips under the edge of
the roof tiles and, if necessary, you can also tie it to the hangers
along the front edge. Even if you install gutter protectors, it
is still important to remove them regularly to clean out small debris,
which filters through the mesh.
Your
maintenance routine should include:
• Raking leaves out of the gutter. Use a hand broom or discarded
dish brush. If using your hands, wear work gloves.
• Flush out gutter and down pipes with a hose. If down pipes
are clogged, use a plumbers tool to clear the blockage then flush
with the hose.
Metal
gutters.
Even galvanized metal gutters are liable to oxidize and rust with
time. You can keep them in good condition by coating the inside
with bituminous paint every couple of years.
Patch
holes as follows:
• Clean around the hole with a wire brush.
• Coat the area around the hole with roof cement or one of
the new ready-mixed indoor/outdoor fillers.
• Make a patch from fly screen wire or sheet metal and place
over the hole.
• Ensure the patch covers the hole and extends about 12mm
beyond it all round.
• Put a second layer of cement or filler over the patch, coating
well beyond its edges. When this coat sets you can make it even
more secure with a further coat if desired.
Sagging
gutters.
Sometimes this is caused when the gutter has bent, perhaps by a tree
branch or other heavy debris failing against it. Most can be bent
back into place. If the cause is a damaged or loose hanger, re secure
the hanger with a galvanized nail and put a dab of roofing cement
over the nail head and old nail holes. If the hanger is difficult
or impossible to reach to re secure the nails, add another hanger
close to the old one. If the gutter sags because there are not enough
supports add more so that the gutter is supported at least every
meter. When repairing sagging gutters ensure you retain the proper
pitch towards the down pipe for drainage.
If elbows or sections of down pipe come apart, they can be held
in place with waterproof tape, or pop riveted back into place. A
suitable seater should be used with rivets.
If a section is badly corroded, remove it with a hacksaw.
To
replace a section of down pipe:
• Obtain a new piece of pipe a little longer than the old
piece (about 200 mm).
• Slit the upper end so it will slip over the existing down
pipe. Slit the bottom end and squeeze it in a little so it will
slide inside the bottom section of down pipe.
• When it is in place drill holes through both thicknesses
of pipe to take the pop rivets. Remove the new section and file
the ends of old and new sections smooth.
• Coat the inside and outside edges of the existing down pipe
with suitable adhesive and replace the new section, securing it
with pop rivets.
These steps are the same for replacing section of gutter.
Remember that the join should be with the pitch of the gutter. That
is, put the new piece under the old when the pitch is towards the
repair but put it over the old when the fall is away from the repair.
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