Leaking gutters

Guttering is a vitally important part of a building because it takes water safely away from the fabric of the building. It also makes water available for collection and re-use via water butts or SUDS (sustainable urban drainage systems).

Gutters can leak, this can be due to a number of factors including:

• Build up of leaf litter / dirt in the guttering
• Blockage in the downpipes
• Cracked or damaged guttering
• Poor seals between guttering lengths
• Misaligned runs

Plastic guttering is especially prone to these problems because it degrades under UV light (sunlight), it has a very high expansion and contraction ratio (you often hear plastic guttering creak and crack when it is really warm or cold), it is fiddly and difficult to fix and the joints provided are generally not particularly good.

Leaking gutters can be a real hazard for buildings as it allows water to get into the fabric of the building. This can cause damp and structural problems and therefore any leakage / blockage should be dealt with as a priority.

Remedy

Keep your guttering clear from debris by having them cleared every couple of years.

Use a more stable and longer lasting guttering material. There are options available like steel, aluminium, cast iron and copper. At RDE we recommend Lindab guttering because it is inexpensive, easy to fit, well designed, stable, long lasting and easy to fit into SUDS or other water collection systems.