Had a bit of a cloudburst here earlier and one piece of my pvc guttering leaked like mad.
So I've been up the ladder and the gutter was full of moss, which is reasonably well cleared now.
The leak is actually on one side of a join, and I think the gutter us supposed to clip into the joining bracket and sit on a piece of rubber to prevent leaks - this sort of thing upvctradewarehouse-static.symphonycommerce.io/images/2019/03/contain/2048x2048/853c83c83d51bd6cb5d3b60eda6ffa95.png , but it is a good half inch short of the rubber so is just pvc on pvc. (the joint piece has longer ends)
This is at the back of the house which gets all the sun and I suspect it's just shrunk over the summer. The piece of gutter is partially on my side and partly on my neighbours but I can't see how it is at the next join.
Anyway, I know that stuff expands and contracts a lot so I suspect the answer is no, but could I just try to seal it with silicon, or does anyone have any other suggestions (short of new guttering!).
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www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-kQbhaP-nI
I think this video covers your problem nicely
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So long as the guttering sections forming the whole run is long enough you should be able to fix the leak as per the video. It gets harder if the guttering has actually been cut too short. You then face a situation where, if you shuffle one section to its proper position, you leave another joint short. And it then leaks.
I had this problem but don’t do as I did and shell out for an unnecessary whole new gutter system from what proved to be a cowboy outfit. Just get one replacement length of guttering and slot it in accordingly. If you are not confident on a ladder then a reputable roofer will replace seals and any short gutter lengths at reasonable cost.
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Unclip it from its joiner, run a couple of thick beads of silicon in the joiner, clip it back, - fixed. (wipe out the silicon that ouzes out)
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Thanks, that's very useful CGN - not sure it will be the whole answer but I'm hoping it will lead me there!!
So my neighbour, who is the practical one, and I put the guttering up some years back. He no longer "does" heights, and I never have done. The actual problem joint is over my flat roof extension so even I can get to that easily enough. However that point in the video about the guttering shifting along was interesting, and I'll need to work out a way to reach the ends to see if that's the case, and, if so, correct it before trying to replace the bracket.
The silicon options seems much easier but I just feel it might break if the gutter expands too much.
The video tagline is something like "the fix without mastic" so maybe mastic is a better option.
Need to speak to next door and come up with a plan! Thanks all
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If the rubber seals are good, and the gutter sections are the right length, then there is no need for sealant. The joints are meant to slide a few mm as the temperature fluctuates. Sealing some with silicon will mean that the remaining untreated joints will have to move more, risking more leaks.
Silicon/ mastic might work temporarily but the tag line is probably intended as a suggestion not to use mastic.
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The sections have been the right length for a few years now so I suspect the shifting phenomenon has occurred, and it's shifting them back again which will be tricky. The seals still look good too, and I'm sure could all be reconnected if only it were all lined up!
Gonna meet up with next door later and come up with a plan, hopefully a cheap one!!
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Reminded me that mine is dripping from a join just outside the front door. Either moss in the joint or perished seals. I'll check it out when it stops raining.
Gutter is just above h
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Massive amount of moss in mine, I wonder if those gutter guards would do anything to prevent it while I'm up there...just not sure I can reach it all, but some might be better than none. There are no nearby trees so leaves are not a problem. The roof itself has small clumps of moss but I don't know if the stuff in the gutter has fallen or grown there
Like this tinyurl.com/bdzxz8kd
Last edited by: smokie on Fri 29 Aug 25 at 10:32
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If you use the mastic described as 'for guttering and roof repairs' it remains flexible so the guttering can move slightly due to expansion or water weight. A common problem is that the cross section of the gutter deforms due to heat and the clamping force of the supports and joints. New joints will leave gaps around old guttering so the only solution is mastic or replacing the complete section.
The moss will be coming from the roof and gets dislodged by heavy rainfall and birds looking for bugs.
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Thanks for that info.
Just been round to chat with my neighbour. It turns out he doesn't have height aversion, it's his SWMBO on his behalf (we're all getting on a bit!!) - so he's coming round shortly and I'm sure with all our collective knowledge I'll be able to post what fixed it shortly :-)
Re the moss - yes, we get loads on the front drive after a heavy storm too so I guess it is off the roof. In which case it might be worth getting the gutter cover - but it would still need clearing once in a while. Probably fairly easy though. Mind you the window cleaner charged him something over £200 to do front and back a year or so ago (clean and remove moss)
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I hate black plastic gutters with a vengeance! They are always expanding and contracting with heat - you can hear them do it in the morning sun - and of course the joints open up as a result.
One of the good things about France is their gutters! Continuous/rolled aluminium section with welded joints to the downpipes, the lowest 1m of which is cast iron. Never leak. I assume it's their Building Regulations? Wish our Regs said the same.
Trying to get the same gutters over here is however extortionate.
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Cheapo white guttering can be a pain too. The guttering on our previous owse up on Bodmin Moor used to vibrate in the wind, and believe me, it's windy 380 days of the year up there!!
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Ours is white plastic (PVC?), I don't recall it being particularly cheap (as we did the job ourselves we were more generous with materials) - it looks nice when clean but gets grubby so quickly.
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Well the good news is it's all OK again. It had shifted itself along but took quite some work to get it back to where it should be - and at the moment my neighbour still has something of a leak where we shifted it all along.
We discussed netting or brush to keep the carp out but decided it's taken quite some years to reach this state so we'll just let it do it's thing and next time we'll be paying someone to do the dirty work.
We later worked out it's been up 14 years so not so shabby!!
Thanks to all for help ideas and advice - always appreciated!!
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"We discussed netting or brush to keep the carp out but decided it's taken quite some years to reach this state so we'll just let it do it's thing and next time we'll be paying someone to do the dirty work."
Probably the best plan. My house is very close to two very large oak trees and the gutters soon get filled with debris. Th oak flowers are worse that the leaves as they turn to sludge when wet. I have tried both netting and brushes but in my opinion they only make it more difficults to clean the gutters out. I use to to do his on a ladder every winter after leaf fall but I gave that up some years back.
I now pay for the job to be done by a gutter cleaning company every year. Money well spent I think. They charge around £180 for the entire house
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Do they use one of those vacuums where they don't need to climb ladders?
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£180 buys me enuff hardwood logs for half the winter period. I use a telescopic pole which I bought at the previous owse to use for cleaning the upper windows.
I bought a scooper attachment forrit to scoop out the leaves from the FOUR! oak trees here :(
Neighb has gutter guards, but he'll still get carp in the gutters - and a ton of leaves on the guards.
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Gutter guards are more trouble than they're worth.
Last edited by: MD on Mon 1 Sep 25 at 13:38
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>> Gutter guards are more trouble than they're worth.
I'd go with that too. Leaves turn goo and fall through anyway.
May be different if you're in the middle of a forest?
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OK, point taken, no guards will be fitted... :-)
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Wouldn't something like this
tinyurl.com/23kykfcm
be a good idea? Not that I've done it of course.
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>> Wouldn't something like this
>> >> tinyurl.com/23kykfcm
>> be a good idea? Not that I've done it of course.
NO! I've tried them and found they stop the moss and debris going down the downpipe, effectively creating a dam in the gutter.
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Anyone tried those brush type of things you put in the guttering? I always think they cut down the amount of water the guttering can get rid of.
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[Quote]
Anyone tried those brush type of things you put in the guttering? I always think
they cut down the amount of water the guttering can get rid of.
[/Quote]
I use them and think they do a good job. In my experience they don’t restrict the water flow at all. Their USP (Unique Selling Point) is that they stop moss and muck dropping into the gutter and blocking the flow further along.
Top tip: If you do find your guttering blocked, pour a kettle of boiling water along it. Don’t know the science behind it, but it seems to make the moss go brittle and it clears out much easier.
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My experience is the exact opposite. They actually trap debris in the gutter and eventually cause a blockage. I would not recommend climbing a ladder with a kettle of boiling water in one hand.
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No longer own a kettle here since the kitchen refurb :-)
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I own 3 kettles, but no longer own a ladder !
Ted
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[Quote]
My experience is the exact opposite. They actually trap debris in the gutter and eventually cause a blockage.
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Different experiences eh. Who'd have thunk? Any, I've tried it (the stiff bristles and hot water where necessary) and it has worked for me.
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I would not recommend climbing a ladder with a kettle of boiling water in one hand.
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Depends on how stable the ladder is, how stable one's arm and wrist are and how high up the guttering is.
Last edited by: De Sisti on Tue 2 Sep 25 at 13:06
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>> [Quote]
>> Anyone tried those brush type of things you put in the guttering? I always think
>> they cut down the amount of water the guttering can get rid of.
>> [/Quote]
The forum does not seem to support BB codes for quotes but uses the quote message function below the reply test box.
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I rolled up some thin gutter mesh and sat it the downpipe entry hole. Holds back a massive amount of debris that would otherwise disappear into the soakaways. I think that would be a big project down the line to dig up, access and clear one of those out.
An ex colleague has set up a DIY business and has bought a gutter clearing vacuum. Took advantage of an introductory offer. He worked for his money and I gave him a bit more. Particularly reaching over the conservatory. A north facing gutter contained a large amount of wet moss which blocked the machine but he eventually managed it.
Ive historically climbed ladders and used drain rods to consolidate debris for removal. But drain rods can only be manipulated so far.
Last edited by: Fullchat on Tue 2 Sep 25 at 13:46
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We used to get regular problems with the drains and guttering because of a large oak tree in the garden next door. When new people moved in about seven years ago one of the first things they did was have it cut down. I've not had the drain rods down from the loft since.
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£20,000 fine per tree fine plus mandatory replanting if mine are chopped down.
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Possibly next door as well.
Mind you, know one would know when it was chopped down.
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I like my trees. The give shade in summer, a home for the squirrels and Pipistrelle bats, a perch for the Tawny owls and a home of other wildlife. Sweeping up the leaves at the end of November is a job I could do without but it repays me with a cubic metre of leaf mould for the garden. I think they are about 200 Years old so I’m only looking after them for a bit of their life.
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>> We used to get regular problems with the drains and guttering because of a large
>> oak tree in the garden next door. When new people moved in about seven years
>> ago one of the first things they did was have it cut down.
When we bought this place, I swerved any properties that had mature trees on site, or adjacent. I also took very close notice of the environment agency flood risk maps.
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Guttering - CGNorwich
