[Stephen[_6_]]

Hello,

My gutter is about 9 metres long. A chap went up a ladder to clean it
out and said the seals were beginning to perish. He said they were not
a problem now but might be in the future, but he didn't say how long
into the future. Is it just a matter of replacing the joins or is it
best to rip the whole length down and replace whilst we have some nice
weather? If we did replace the gutter, what is the longest single
length you can buy? I see Screwfix and toolstation only sell 3 metre
lengths, I presume because of transport considerations. A builder said
you can get 4 metres lengths but even those would require three joins.

Thanks,
Stephen.

[cynic]

On 7 Apr, 10:08, Stephen wrote:
Hello,

My gutter is about 9 metres long. A chap went up a ladder to clean it
out and said the seals were beginning to perish. He said they were not
a problem now but might be in the future, but he didn't say how long
into the future. *Is it just a matter of replacing the joins or is it
best to rip the whole length down and replace whilst we have some nice
weather? If we did replace the gutter, what is the longest single
length you can buy? I see Screwfix and toolstation only sell 3 metre
lengths, I presume because of transport considerations. A builder said
you can get 4 metres lengths but even those would require three joins.

Thanks,
Stephen.

Dont waste the planets resources replacing the whole gutter for the
sake of a couple of pounds worth of replacement seals

[Bob Mannix]

"cynic" wrote in message
...
On 7 Apr, 10:08, Stephen wrote:
Hello,

My gutter is about 9 metres long. A chap went up a ladder to clean it
out and said the seals were beginning to perish. He said they were not
a problem now but might be in the future, but he didn't say how long
into the future. Is it just a matter of replacing the joins or is it
best to rip the whole length down and replace whilst we have some nice
weather? If we did replace the gutter, what is the longest single
length you can buy? I see Screwfix and toolstation only sell 3 metre
lengths, I presume because of transport considerations. A builder said
you can get 4 metres lengths but even those would require three joins.

Thanks,
Stephen.

-Dont waste the planets resources replacing the whole gutter for the
-sake of a couple of pounds worth of replacement seals

Once the guttering has been subject to uv degradation and embrittlement,
changing the seals can be a problem (if you can get them). OTOH if they are
not leaking now, leave well alone until they are - if they do leak it will
start very slowly (drips). You can always pop some mastic in them, get a few
more years out of them and then change them. I suspect you are
over-worrying!


--
Bob Mannix
(anti-spam is as easy as 1-2-3 - not)

[Rob G[_3_]]

On 7 Apr, 10:41, "Bob Mannix" wrote:
"cynic" wrote in message



Once the guttering has been subject to uv degradation and embrittlement,
changing the seals can be a problem (if you can get them). OTOH if they are
not leaking now, leave well alone until they are - if they do leak it will
start very slowly (drips). You can always pop some mastic in them, get a few
more years out of them and then change them. I suspect you are
over-worrying!

--
Bob Mannix
(anti-spam is as easy as 1-2-3 - not)

From someone who does have the odd joint in plastic guttering that is
dripping slightly, what is the best way of applying some mastic.
Obviously a bit of cleaning up but do I need to spring the joint and
get the mastic into the joint ?

Thanks
Rob

[Dave Liquorice[_2_]]

On Tue, 07 Apr 2009 10:08:38 +0100, Stephen wrote:

My gutter is about 9 metres long. A chap went up a ladder to clean it
out and said the seals were beginning to perish. He said they were not
a problem now but might be in the future, but he didn't say how long
into the future.

Why does this ring "touting for work" alarm bells?

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it".

--
Cheers
Dave.

[Kipper at sea]

On Apr 7, 10:08*am, Stephen wrote:
Hello,

My gutter is about 9 metres long. A chap went up a ladder to clean it
out and said the seals were beginning to perish. He said they were not
a problem now but might be in the future, but he didn't say how long
into the future. *Is it just a matter of replacing the joins or is it
best to rip the whole length down and replace whilst we have some nice
weather? If we did replace the gutter, what is the longest single
length you can buy? I see Screwfix and toolstation only sell 3 metre
lengths, I presume because of transport considerations. A builder said
you can get 4 metres lengths but even those would require three joins.

Thanks,
Stephen.

Depends on what type of gutter seals they are, if they are the flat
sponge type, then it’s a complete renewal of the joint unions. But if
they are they are the type that fit in a grove, then you only need to
replace new rubbers.

Because plastic gutter expanse and contracts, mastics or other glues
don’t work well as they pull open.

[Bob Mannix]

"Rob G" wrote in message
...
On 7 Apr, 10:41, "Bob Mannix" wrote:
"cynic" wrote in message



Once the guttering has been subject to uv degradation and embrittlement,
changing the seals can be a problem (if you can get them). OTOH if they
are
not leaking now, leave well alone until they are - if they do leak it
will
start very slowly (drips). You can always pop some mastic in them, get a
few
more years out of them and then change them. I suspect you are
over-worrying!

--
Bob Mannix
(anti-spam is as easy as 1-2-3 - not)

From someone who does have the odd joint in plastic guttering that is
dripping slightly, what is the best way of applying some mastic.
Obviously a bit of cleaning up but do I need to spring the joint and
get the mastic into the joint ?


Springing the joint and putting it inside would be the best - as someone
else has said, it does tend to move, plus the inside gap is full of cr*p.
Sometimes, springing the joint and cleaning will improve things (assuming
that springing the joint doesn't cause something to snap - they will be much
more brittle than when new) and applying silicone grease. If you can get
replacement seals that's the best but I haven't come across any for sale.
You can also try car underseal etc. Yes it's a bodge but it may buy you
another year and, if you are going to replace in the end, what's the
problem?


--
Bob Mannix
(anti-spam is as easy as 1-2-3 - not

[Andy Dingley]

On 7 Apr, 12:09, "Bob Mannix" wrote:

Sometimes, springing the joint and cleaning will improve things (assuming
that springing the joint doesn't cause something to snap

Springing the joint often snaps a plastic supporting bracket, rarely
the gutter itself. So long as you have a couple of spare brackets
ready beforehand and you're up there anyway, it's really no big deal.

Use a low modulus mastic though - there's a lot of movement in those
joints.

[neverwas[_3_]]

If we did replace the gutter, what is the longest single
length you can buy?

I know Hunter for one do 5m lengths but

o I've not seen/used them
o you may have to get them ordered specially.
o some argue against such long lengths because of the greater thermal
expansion at the joint(s)

Or there is continuous aluminium if you can afford it: ISTR claims for
up to 30m continuous lengths!

--
Robin

[Tim S]

neverwas coughed up some electrons that declared:


Or there is continuous aluminium if you can afford it: ISTR claims for
up to 30m continuous lengths!


I presume that's formed on site out of a roll - seem to remember seeing
something like that?...

[ARWadsworth]

"Tim S" wrote in message
...
neverwas coughed up some electrons that declared:


Or there is continuous aluminium if you can afford it: ISTR claims for
up to 30m continuous lengths!


I presume that's formed on site out of a roll - seem to remember seeing
something like that?..

Seamless guttering.

It comes off a roll and is pressed on site (ie back of a van). The operator
sets the maching to mould the desired shape of the guttering.

Very impressive to watch.

Adam

[Phil L]

Stephen wrote:
Hello,

My gutter is about 9 metres long. A chap went up a ladder to clean it
out and said the seals were beginning to perish. He said they were not
a problem now but might be in the future, but he didn't say how long
into the future. Is it just a matter of replacing the joins or is it
best to rip the whole length down and replace whilst we have some nice
weather? If we did replace the gutter, what is the longest single
length you can buy? I see Screwfix and toolstation only sell 3 metre
lengths, I presume because of transport considerations. A builder said
you can get 4 metres lengths but even those would require three joins.

Thanks,
Stephen.

Contrary to popular myth, the more joints you have, the less chance it has
of ever leaking.

As has already been mentioned elsewhere in this thread, guttering expands
and contracts - a lot, and if you have a 5m length, you are going to lose at
least 50mm of this in winter, and as it pulls itself through the joint, it
drags out the rubber seal underneath.
Given that each piece only usually overlaps into the joint and at outlets by
about 50mm, after a season or two, the seals are mangled.
If you use shorter lengths, say 2.5 or 3m and more joints, you are giving
the gutter more space to expand and contract without displacing these rubber
seals.

--
Phil L
RSRL Tipster Of The Year 2008

[Steve Walker]

On Tue, 07 Apr 2009 14:22:16 GMT, ARWadsworth wrote:

"Tim S" wrote in message
...
neverwas coughed up some electrons that declared:


Or there is continuous aluminium if you can afford it: ISTR claims for
up to 30m continuous lengths!


I presume that's formed on site out of a roll - seem to remember seeing
something like that?..

Seamless guttering.

It comes off a roll and is pressed on site (ie back of a van). The operator
sets the maching to mould the desired shape of the guttering.

Very impressive to watch.

Adam

I recently bought some galvanised steel sheets for the garage roof. Went to
the supplier and watched them form them - unrolled from a large coil, both
sides sheared off to make the correct width (the waste being re-rolled for
disposal) and then pulled through the rest of the machine, with each ridge
starting to be rolled at a different point, a second roller for each ridge
to form the final shape and a big guillotine to automatically chop the set
lengths.

They were dead cheap too. I got the impression that they were actually
machine repairers and refurbishers and their client had supplied the steel
for testing purposes!

SteveW