My gutter has an annoying drip from a join. It's now leaving a damp stain on the house.
It's standard, semi-round, black plastic (Marley?) that's been there for forty-odd years. I've had a couple of goes at taking it down, cleaning the joint and using a mastic type compound called roof and gutter sealant. It still drips.
It all looks in good condition and well supported.
Any suggestions, or should I renew the whole lot?
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Try slicon bathroom sealant.
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Difficult without seeing it. Has it still got the rubber gasket? You could try cleaning it, wax polishing the (outside of) the gutter, and using some silicone sealant on the "clip" or gasket. The clips must hold the gutter tight, perhaps they've deformed and it's all a bit slack. They should be hard to undo/do. There's (or was, 10 years ago) a New City Heating in Kempston which might still be good, ISTR you're nearby. You can put 4 metre lengths of plastic gutter in your car - fold them in half and they'll be OK. Get them out as soon as you can, though, don't leave them in all night.
Last edited by: FotheringtonTomas on Wed 15 Sep 10 at 20:57
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It will weaken them at that point and plastic has a 'memory'. Go to Builders Merchant. Push and shove (mouth or body)!! Talk like you know what you are about. Look for 35% discount, get them to deliver. Belligerent bleeding lot, but should be grateful for custom in this fragile market.
When you fit don't forget to use the correct expansion gap between lengths.
More Beer...............MD
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>> It will weaken them at that point and plastic has a 'memory'.
That's why I say don't leave them folded all night. IME it's fine otherwise.
>> Go to Builders Merchant. Push and shove (mouth or body)!! Talk like you know
>> what you are about. Look for 35% discount, get them to deliver.
Many BMs will charge for delivery nowadays, unless you're an account holder. You've got to be careful of that, too.e market.
>> When you fit don't forget to use the correct expansion gap between lengths.
Not to mention fall. I recon more problems are caused by this (and failing to clear out accumulations of grit) than anything else.
>> More Beer
I couldn't get any on the way back, so I've got a bottle of cheap plonk. I've also got 3/4 ton of coal in the van to unload tomorrow. Bah.
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I had a similar problem with Marley plastic guttering, I bought new rubber seals from a plumbers merchant, (gutters are plumbers kit). Dismantle the joint, wash it clean, replace with the new seal, job done! I live in a bungalow, that helps for access. :)
Last edited by: Old Navy on Wed 15 Sep 10 at 21:19
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Gaskets/seals compress and after a time stay compressed, lose their flexibility and therefore leak. A replacement seal is the way to go if it can be obtained at a sensible price.
Where one attempts to deal with this matter with silicon etc. the following problem will be encountered. One compresses the silicon in the process of clipping in the gutter to the joiner. After this process the gutter section relaxes a little thereby 'backing off' the silicon joint leaving a slight gap.
By all means replace the original gasket with a sealant, but also use that same sealant AGAIN inside on the joint and outside too. Expansion and contraction though WILL be compromised with the likely hood of a further leak.
As an aside, when cleaning surfaces to be bonded etc. always use Meths to clean and not white spirit. Meths does not leave residue.
More Beer. MD
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Now the weather is getting colder clips and brackets get more brittle.
But as stated unclip the joint and clean all the debris and grit away. if you can take the joint off and wash it so much the better.
If you can't get the gaskets separately buy a replacement joint and take the gasket out. A Smear of silicon grease on the rubber will aid a good joint and stop it creaking as it expands/contracts.
Trouble I have found is that specifications change so sometimes you have to make slight modifications.
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Plastic gutters expand and contract in length with changes in temperature, especially if it's on the sunny side of the house. Check that this joint doesn't have too little overlap of the gutter and the bracket. Increasing the length of one of the adjacent gutter pieces, or the bracket, could effect a cure. I cured a similar leak with a longer bracket. Sealant may make the problem worse. Far better to have a new rubber seal. Screwfix sell lots of guttering parts. tinyurl.com/2uoadc3
P.S. There's no such thing as standard semi-round guttering. The dimensions depend on the manufacturer. The parts should all be from the same manufacturer.
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>> Plastic gutters expand and contract in length with changes in temperature, especially if it's on
>> the sunny side of the house.
I forgot to add that this can result in permanent movement of one of the peices of gutter. The bracket at one end gets too much overlap with the gutter, and the bracket at the other end gets too little overlap.
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Ring Marley or whatever they are called now and maybe if asked nicely they'll pop a couple in the post. Worth a try?
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Why not try the seal sanctuary :)
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>>Gweek?<<
- - - - - > :-)
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Fixing leaking gutter join - Zero
