Is it Time to Replace Your Gutters- What Type of Gutter is Best for You?
Local roof plumbing services in Melbourne will help you deal with flooding and water damage issues in your home. Think your home water discharge system is in good condition? Think again.
Gutters, whether fixed beneath the edge of a rough or on the ground for surface water collection clog over time because they do not only channel rainwater but leaves, debris, twigs and dirt too. Gutters, like all structures, also develop problems due to age, wear and tear.
If gutters are not regularly cleaned, repaired or even replaced, they could be the reason for regular flooding, moulding, rotting timber and cold, uncomfortable rooms. That is why our local Me Melbourne plumbing services is here to provide roof plumbing services. No one wants to live in such conditions.
Signs you need to replace your gutter?
It’s easy to tell if you need to hull out the old gutter and fix a new one in its place. If you can’t tell it from the functional signs such as stagnant waters and leakages even after cleaning the hell out of it, then you probably are going recognise one or two of the following structural damages.
- Rust
The onset of rustic stains on your once precious gutter should be worrisome. Rust impacts your house’s aesthetic appeal. It also shows your gutter is no longer watertight. This is when you should get those plumber contacts you stashed somewhere in your home and place the call for gutters, and downpipes repairs and replacements.
- Sagging, cracks and dents
If during one of your regular inspection routines you discover clear gaps, dents or cracks on your gutter or even find it sagging, then it has to got to go for a new one to come in.
- Dirty marks left on your wall
Damage to the walls due to uneven flow or stagnant water include soggy paint, rotten timber, dirty marks and cracks. These are the signs your gutter is ‘over the hill.’
Dangers of damaged gutters
First of all, mould and mildew on your walls are dangerous, given that increasingly, asthma 30 percent of children and 10 percent of adults in the industrial world are asthmatic.
The other reasons are, you just don’t want the water to accumulate on your roof. With time, it will seep through the walls, leaving behind dirty marks and worst of all, damaging the walls’ integrity.
Also, given Victoria’s climate, stagnant water on your roof may be the reason mosquitos are out for blood at night interfering with your sleep.
Properly functioning rain gutters help keep water off the roof and walls. Water collected by a rain gutter is channelled down the building to a collection point via a downpipe ensuring soak into the walls or accumulate on the roof to damage the building’s fabric, cause moulding and rotting timber.
Gutter cleaning and maintenance is a must-do, and how often you may ask?
Well, it all depends on the surrounding vegetation and the gutter capacity. Most experts say cleaning your gutter twice a year during spring and winter is okay. But if your home is surrounded by trees, shedding a lot of leaves, more is expected of you. The same goes for the narrow and shallow gutters; these easily clog just after a short time.
With the current unpredictable climate, you are much safer if your gutter is in excellent condition.
Types of Gutters and guttering styles
Gutters are one of those things that people really do not look into with much detail, but they can have long-term effects on your home.
What do you know about roof gutters? Most people just know that gutters help channel water off the roof and that is about the limit of their knowledge. But not all gutters are created equal.
- Materials
In the early days, gutters consisted of stone troughs or lined wooden structures. Lead gutters also featured greatly in most Melbourne homes and still do. Modern gutters, however, are made in a variety of materials including cast iron, UPVC, aluminium galvanised steel, copper, zinc, bamboo, asbestos cement and wood.
- Quad Guttering
Quad guttering is the most common guttering technique. It involves the square-shaped gutters that are flat on the sides and bottom. Quad gutters also go by the name ‘D’ gutters.
A lot of new homes and replacements follow this guttering style because the classic form blends flawlessly with both modern and traditional looks. Another advantage is their volumes; these bad boys are squared-off, providing much capacity to channel off the water.
- Half-Round Guttering
These are gutters with a curved form, and while they miss out on the large volume benefit, they are easy to clean because they don’t have corners for dirt to wedge into. Oh, and they are also very much resistant to rusting and corrosion because you know corners accelerate rusting.
- Quad Line Gutters
These are gutters that combine both quad and half-round guttering styles into a large volume and aesthetic structure. They preserve the good look of rounded gutters and the large size of squared-off quad gutters.
- Gutter Guards
Modern gutters feature screens, louvres, solid hoods and micromesh screens to keep off roof debris, leaves, sticks and dirt. Get one of these for your gutters to minimise the cleaning required.
So, what type of gutter is best for you?
You have to choose the right gutter (material and style) for your home because as you’ve seen, not all gutters are created equal. Just because something has been structured to channel water off doesn’t mean it’s right for you. The wring type of gutter can lead to damages to your wall, flooding underneath the roof eaves and even waterfalls from your roof. Here’s what to keep in mind when going for new or gutter replacements.
- Large, wide and deep gutters to handle Melbourne rains
Melbourne is so rainy. Except for the period between December and March when temperatures are hotter, the rest of the year experiences an average of 650 millimetres of rainfall. So, you want get big, wide and deep gutters to handle large volumes of rainwater without fail.
- Metal installation
For a gutter that will give you years of service, go for metal installations. These are tough and blend perfectly with your metal roof. I’d be careful about plain steel gutters though. Steel doesn’t do well in high humidity and temperature conditions most especially if impurities are present in the rainwater. Also, ensure the metal sports protective coats and finishes to make it watertight and rust-proof.
- Appearance
Lastly, keep in mind that a great looking gutter improves your façade, so go for gutter colours and materials that will blend flawlessly with your roof.
- Gutter guards
Don’t forget gutter guards to keep debris and leaves off your gutter. Otherwise, you are going to need cleaning very often.
Okay, there you go; in case of roof leaks and repair services, we do it all, from new roof installation to gutter, spouting and downpipes repairs and replacement. Get in touch with us today to see what we can do for you!