Guttering on eves... best kind?

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#1879980 9-Oct-2017 16:52

lapimate:

RickW: ...as pvc only requires half the fall as steel. In terms of personal experience I’d recommend steel every time assuming you can get the correct fall.... Rick

I think that "half the fall" promoted by the plastic boosters is quite misleading. It relies on the low friction of pristine new plastic and does not take account of the increased friction caused by the deterioration of the plastic surface with gravel/sand abrasion in the gutter, nor the saggy/baggy effect of the great thermal expansion/contraction of PVC cf metal.

Dunno what the guide is for steel, but Marley prescribes 5mm fall per 10m which is somewhere between bugger all and impossible to measure!

Jase2985

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#1879982 9-Oct-2017 16:57

Marley also do coloured PVC in some of their ranges

kryptonjohn

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#1879990 9-Oct-2017 17:18

Yeah I'm looking at their black Stormcloud right now. Looks cool but would mean I'd have to replace the rest of the house as well. That would be within my capabilities if it were not for the fact that 3/4 of it is two stories high!

Lastman

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#1880000 9-Oct-2017 18:13

Fixing the joins may have just been with sealer which is often difficult as it is hard to get the inside of the guttering join perfectly clean.

You can put packers on the new brackets to allow the guttering to be accessed easier.

mattwnz

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#1880002 9-Oct-2017 18:47

Jase2985:

Marley also do coloured PVC in some of their ranges

Whats the price difference though? ALso it looks like it is just a coating even though teh substrate looks to be grey PVC rather then white for the black version.

With all these systems, the first thing that will usually fail will be the joints over time. With steel, you want a decent fall, because if the water pools anywhere, such as at a joint, that is likely to be the first place that it will corrode. Also leaves left in the gutter can make the water more acidic and cause premature corrosion. White PVC gutters are probably the longest lasting and lowest maintenance over time, but from my experience, after about 10 years of installation by a professional roofer, they too can leak at the joints, which is simply wear and tear. Also replacing damaged parts is quite tricky, as they have to be slotted into the joint. I believe steel ones just use silicon for joints so they too can leak as that fails, and the capillary gap draws water into the joint. There is no perfect solution from my experience that won't require some future maintenance, but PVC is probably the closest.

UHD

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#1880003 9-Oct-2017 18:52

One of my rentals has copper spouting that has been there 60 years and will probably still be there in another 60. Probably not worth the expense to install yourself, though.

mattwnz

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#1880004 9-Oct-2017 18:55

UHD:

One of my rentals has copper spouting that has been there 60 years and will probably still be there in another 60. Probably not worth the expense to install yourself, though.

Guessing that was back when they still soldered the joints. When we were looking at getting copper installed, they said they no longer did this. Not exactly sure why, but it maybe a health and safety thing.

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kryptonjohn

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#1880037 9-Oct-2017 19:56

We have 60 yo copper and it leaks. Can't see where from either.

raytaylor

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#1880094 9-Oct-2017 21:26

Personally I like marley PVC

It looks nice and tidy if professionally installed.

Copper will rust and i have seen a few houses that have the concealed system leak into the attic if they arent cleaned properly.

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Bung

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#1880095 9-Oct-2017 21:27

JayADee:
The white plastic on there now looks fine so that's not an issue. The angles are messed up, water sits in some places and on the longest side dirt accumulates in the middle as the down pipes are at either end. (no trees around but it is a concrete tile roof from 1950)

Our place is maybe a few years older. Even with good water flow the coarse sand doesn't move well unless you give it a blast with the hose. The tiles resting on the fascia boards can push the boards down and screw the levels up. The original nails as far as I can tell were just bright steel and had rusted through. Jacking the fascia back to its original position and renailing sorted my level problems.

MikeAqua

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#1880288 10-Oct-2017 12:14

A guy who did our guttering (continuous steel) for me thought that Marley specify a slow fall so the gutters retain some water to provide a thermal buffer.

The continuous steel on our current place is ~6 years old. We are in a salt spray zone but also get reasonably high rainfall. The stainless (304) lamps outside are rusting the spouting is just fine. Early days of course but no signs of corrosion anywhere at all, not even at corners etc.

PVC downpipes (painted as per covenants) show signs of movement due to expansion and contraction.

Mike

MikeAqua

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#1880291 10-Oct-2017 12:17

kryptonjohn:

Dunno what the guide is for steel, but Marley prescribes 5mm fall per 10m which is somewhere between bugger all and impossible to measure!

Provided your fascia boards are level ...

Measure up from bottom at both ends
Put some nails in
Run a (tight) string line
Install brackets to string line.

Pros use laser levels

Mike

kryptonjohn

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#1880310 10-Oct-2017 12:33

I think in a 60yo house that would be a big assumption, @MikeAqua

5mm is small and 10m is big and 60yo timber is a bit wavy.

I think a laser level is the only way but perhaps a mid point string level will do.

I generally look for excuses to buy a tool and I think a laser level could be really handy.

Of course you then end up installing things level in a house that is not level and they look off!

kryptonjohn

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#1880312 10-Oct-2017 12:35

I might have to go get one of these then think of something to level with it. Downside is perhaps no good outside?

https://www.bunnings.com.au/bosch-cross-level-and-plumb-line-laser-level-set_p5660265

MikeAqua

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#1880392 10-Oct-2017 15:02

kryptonjohn:

I think in a 60yo house that would be a big assumption, @MikeAqua

5mm is small and 10m is big and 60yo timber is a bit wavy.

I think a laser level is the only way but perhaps a mid point string level will do.

I generally look for excuses to buy a tool and I think a laser level could be really handy.

Of course you then end up installing things level in a house that is not level and they look off!

I missed the age and agree its likely to have moved a bit.

Laser levels are great tools. I first used one as labourer on a building site in the 1990s for concrete boxing. Made the job so easy. Lift till tone and fire! Just like Top Gun.

I was hoping to use one when I re-clad the our (1920s) house in 2004 but everything was still level flush and plumb. Mind you the soil there had so much river stone, that digging a strainer post-hole was a psychologically scarring ordeal.

Mike

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