Plastic gutters and the snow and ice

tmcw

I'm wondering (quite worriedly), how much deformation regular plastic gutters can take?

Instead of looking like this:

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Mine are looking more like this:

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.. \_

East-facing roof, so it only gets the "sun" in the morning. Anything I can do, besides making sure there isn't anything valuable below it?

dnme

Sounds like they are holding water. Mine were like this during the summer and I noticed that during heavy rain they leaked down all over the place. I got up to them on a ladder and found that the downpipe was blocked.

After clearing, they run fine and are even grand during the freeze. I'd say cleaning is your answer, but I'd wait til a decent thaw.

ART6

Probably they are filled with snow and ice, but since they are probably HDPE they will return to shape when they warm up a bit. I wouldn't worry about it.

CJhaughey

I think most plastic gutters are UPVC, if they recover then theres not much to say, if they break and have to be replaced then you can think about using more durable guttering like steel.

ART6

CJhaughey wrote: »

I think most plastic gutters are UPVC, if they recover then theres not much to say, if they break and have to be replaced then you can think about using more durable guttering like steel.

To the best of my knowledge the black half round gutters are HDPE and white ones are uPVC. Personally I have never known either the actually break as they are too flexible for that, and certainly HDPE ones always spring back into shape then the weight is reduced. Both types are easy to fit and are very durable, while steel requires maintenance and, if damaged, cannot be repaired or replaced easily. I would never use steel myself.

The main thing with plastic gutters is to ensure that the supports are about a metre apart. If that is done then sagging is rare.

tmcw

Well, it looks like it's going to be well and truly fcuked (see attachment).

Hopefully there'll be no damage to the soffit. Maybe the gutter will be intact when it falls, but I'll still have to get someone round to fix it.

Would house insurance cover repair of this?

EDIT: the ice will probably break off the brackets then the gutter is finally released, no?

dnme

tmcw wrote: »

Well, it looks like it's going to be well and truly fcuked (see attachment).

Hopefully there'll be no damage to the soffit. Maybe the gutter will be intact when it falls, but I'll still have to get someone round to fix it.

Would house insurance cover repair of this?

EDIT: the ice will probably break off the brackets then the gutter is finally released, no?

OP
Don't worry, it's a very easy job to fix. Just go into Homebase or Woodies or wherever and get a length of gutter and a few fixings and tap it in yourself keeping an eye on the slight off level.

ART6

It looks to me as if it's the brackets that have given way. The guttering looks OK, so you just need some new brackets. Easy enough job when the weather breaks (if ever it does!)

tmcw

Thanks for the replies guys.

One side of the gutter was released yesterday by the thaw, and I was able to grab it, and lower it to the ground intact. Very surprising to see it spring back to it's original shape after it being flattened by the "glacier" as it slid off the roof.

The brackets are a different story and will have to be replaced, they were stretched beyond their limit, and I think it would be foolish to try and bend them back to shape and expect them to survive another snowfall like that one.

Now, it looks like an easy enough job to do, just one screw holding in the bracket and the brackets haven't been pulled out or twisted, but I've no ladder to get me up there. I could get one from my folks, but that would be a 6 hour round trip.

So a few questions please:

Can anyone give me a rough idea how much I'd have to pay someone to come and change the brackets and put up the gutter?

The system of guttering is the same as listed at this site here. Will it be easy enough to get the brackets in a hardware store here, or would I be better off ordering them online?

Or maybe there are generic brackets available, or maybe it's better to go with parts made from the same guttering system?

Finally, the gutter that came down is joined on both sides to the rest of the run with unions. There are seals inside these unions, are they likely to be damaged, do they usually clean up and seat well again, or would I need to get new seals or complete unions to complete the job?

dnme

just ring a handyman

CBYR1983

Buy a few brackets in B&Q, borrow a ladder from a neighbour - 'tis the season of goodwill

AP18CC

Earlier this week I was quoted €150 by a guy who called to the house offering to repair my gutters. He called back today and said he could do them for €120. He didn't strike me as being that reputable but do these quotes seem very high? The gutters have not come away but they are sagging. It's a mid terrace house

gsxr1

AP18CC wrote: »

Earlier this week I was quoted €150 by a guy who called to the house offering to repair my gutters. He called back today and said he could do them for €120. He didn't strike me as being that reputable but do these quotes seem very high? The gutters have not come away but they are sagging. It's a mid terrace house

he does not need to be reputable for a job like that. Take off the old brackets ,put new ones in the exact same place. fit new gutter. Im doing it as carpentry is slow. All one needs is a bit of cop on and a ladder.

my whole estate has broken gutters . They where full of ice and then the ice and snow from the roof pushed them beyond there limit.

tmcw

CBYR1983 wrote: »

Buy a few brackets in B&Q, borrow a ladder from a neighbour - 'tis the season of goodwill

Bought a bracket at B&Q today, but wasn't convinced it was big enough, and sure enough it wasn't. It was 112mm, mine are 122mm. In fact, none of the main hardware stores (Homebase, Woodies or Atlantic) had any big enough.

gsxr1 wrote:

...Im doing it as carpentry is slow....

Can you get the right brackets for fixing 122mm gutters, and how much would you charge for doing it? My run is about 6 or 7 meters, need about 8 brackets. PM me if you'd prefer. Location-wise, I'm in south county Dublin.

furtzy

Mine are fcuked as well. Brackets snapped and all mishapen. Got a company to quote for full refit of new aluminium ones all round. Was told the aluminium ones are way less suseptable to the ice damage....any truth in this claim?

Kashkai

I'm lucky enough to live in a bungalow so I was able to walk round the house with a shovel and lever the snow and ice up enough to cause small avalanches to reduce the pressure on the guttering. I then got up a ladder and lifted up to 4 foot long stretches of ice out of the gutters and let them fall to the ground.

I noticed that after last winters big snowfall, a lot of my gutters sprung leaks due to the stress they had been placed under by the compacted snow and ice.

Buford T Justice

Ring around some Seamless gutter companies, they should be able to provide the 122mm clips. Sure, you ain't getting them a big job or anything, but sales are still sales.

CJhaughey

Look at fitting Lindab rainline guttering, IMO it's one of the best systems out there. Galvanised steel comes in modular format just like plastic guttering but is made in Scandinavia where Ice and snow is a fact of life.
If a gutter is damaged then the damaged piece can be replaced no need to do the whole thing.
Maintenance free, and the supporting brackets are very strong.
I fitted it when I built and was very glad that I did last winter.
The other thing that I see in Scandinavia is snow guards, these are small fences that sit about 4-6" high and are at right angles to the roof these stop the snow and ice from falling down the roof and onto people or the guttering.

tmcw

Fingers McGee wrote: »

Ring around some Seamless gutter companies, they should be able to provide the 122mm clips. Sure, you ain't getting them a big job or anything, but sales are still sales.

I did ring a few places, but had no luck. The brackets I was after are curved out a couple of times to the front ("Ogee" profile, I think it's called). They either couldn't supply, forwarded me onto someone else, or didn't get back to me (possibly because I was only after 10 brackets and a union).

Anyway, I ordered the parts I needed on Monday from the company in the UK that I linked earlier on in the thread - probably cost me less than what I spent ringing around here, and driving out to the various hardware/home stores. I got the parts today, so I'll get the job sorted when I have the chance and the weather is a bit better.

Pimp Ninja

No real point to this post other than Im also in this situation.

My guttering (4 years old - new house) seems to have taken a hit last night. Big bow in the centre of it lots of icicles hanging off it this morning.

Curiously enough there seems to either be a support missing, or one of the brackets has popped out completely from where it was, as there is a much bigger gap between the supports where it has bowed than the other areas of the gutter.
Would I have some come back with the installer?

Greenman

CJhaughey wrote: »

I think most plastic gutters are UPVC, if they recover then theres not much to say, if they break and have to be replaced then you can think about using more durable guttering like steel.

Zinc gutters are standard here and if have deep pockets copper is common enough.

From what I'm reading alot of the new builds were not built to put up with the weather Ireland is having ATM, especially the way water pipes were not laid deep enough, 80cm is the norm here.

CJhaughey

Greenman wrote: »

Zinc gutters are standard here and if have deep pockets copper is common enough.

From what I'm reading alot of the new builds were not built to put up with the weather Ireland is having ATM, especially the way water pipes were not laid deep enough, 80cm is the norm here.

I think the regs here specify 750mm below ground, of course the local council water guy put the two stopcocks on the side of the road about 40mm below ground, guess where it froze!
I haven't had any problem with the steel gutters they are very strong, I could nearly hang off one of the brackets and I weigh around 100kg
The plastic are cheap, thats all you can say when you compare them with the Lindab stuff. They take exactly the same effort to fit and are much stronger.

Greenman

CJhaughey wrote: »

I haven't had any problem with the steel gutters they are very strong, I could nearly hang off one of the brackets and I weigh around 100kg.

I can stand on my gutters and do so in the summer time as I clean dirt moss etc out of them.

Re frozen pipes, I'm sure lessons are been learned.

Remember when I came here nearly 20 years ago I wondered why people didn't have storage tanks in the attic, it was to do with the cold, its all mains here no storage tanks.