Hi all

Just general interest Q really.
During the severe weather (we had it quite bad at the top of a hill in East
Yorkshire), I noticed that a new build house was suffering from detached
guttering due to snow/ice load. This is a big detached place and
construction methods, quality etc generally look quite good.
Our house has the original wood fascias with plastic guttering screwed on.
Despite having serious icicles ourselves which reached from the guttering of
a 2 storey house down to the upstairs window sills, our guttering all stayed
in place.

So the question is: Assuming that this new build has uPVC fascias as well as
guttering, are the guttering brackets more likely to come unfixed from uPVC
fascias under heavy load? Are the bracket fixing screws threaded simply
into the thin fascia? Or was this just one job they hadn't got quite right?

Phil

On Tue, 25 Jan 2011 13:42:04 -0000, TheScullster wrote:

So the question is: Assuming that this new build has uPVC fascias as
well as guttering, are the guttering brackets more likely to come
unfixed from uPVC fascias under heavy load? Are the bracket fixing
screws threaded simply into the thin fascia? Or was this just one job
they hadn't got quite right?

I think you have answered your own question.

The builders have not taken enough care (do they ever?) and simply
used ordinary small screws into the plastic facia. Now if they had
used decent sized screws and found the ends of the rafters and
screwed through the facia into the rafter there probably wouldn't
have been a problem.

--
Cheers
Dave.

Phil L wrote:
TheScullster wrote:
Hi all

Just general interest Q really.
During the severe weather (we had it quite bad at the top of a hill
in East Yorkshire), I noticed that a new build house was suffering
from detached guttering due to snow/ice load. This is a big detached
place and construction methods, quality etc generally look quite
good. Our house has the original wood fascias with plastic guttering
screwed on. Despite having serious icicles ourselves which reached
from the guttering of a 2 storey house down to the upstairs window
sills, our guttering all stayed in place.

So the question is: Assuming that this new build has uPVC fascias as
well as guttering, are the guttering brackets more likely to come
unfixed from uPVC fascias under heavy load? Are the bracket fixing
screws threaded simply into the thin fascia? Or was this just one
job they hadn't got quite right?
Phil

Probably hadn't used the correct screws and/or hadn't used enough of
them -


very often people only put one screw per bracket when there
are three holes

My girlfriend knows better than that:-)


--
Adam

On 25/01/2011 16:20, Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Tue, 25 Jan 2011 13:42:04 -0000, TheScullster wrote:

So the question is: Assuming that this new build has uPVC fascias as
well as guttering, are the guttering brackets more likely to come
unfixed from uPVC fascias under heavy load? Are the bracket fixing
screws threaded simply into the thin fascia? Or was this just one job
they hadn't got quite right?

I think you have answered your own question.

The builders have not taken enough care (do they ever?) and simply
used ordinary small screws into the plastic facia. Now if they had
used decent sized screws and found the ends of the rafters and
screwed through the facia into the rafter there probably wouldn't
have been a problem.



Spot on! I get quite a lot of re fixing gutter jobs after the snow & ice.

Seems to me guttering is an afterthought & left to the site idiot to
fix. Very often 'pops' due to incorrect alignment on the expansion
joint and/or has sections that run uphill.

--
Dave - The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

On Tue, 25 Jan 2011 17:16:32 -0000, ARWadsworth wrote:

Probably hadn't used the correct screws and/or hadn't used enough of
them -

very often people only put one screw per bracket when there
are three holes

My girlfriend knows better than that:-)

Woman with 5 men have hands full.
--
Peter.
The gods will stay away
whilst religions hold sway

Phil L formulated on Tuesday :
Probably hadn't used the correct screws and/or hadn't used enough of them -
very often people only put one screw per bracket when there are three holes

I used three 2.5" brass screws per bracket and one bracket every second
rafter, fixed through the facia into the rafter ends.

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

On Tue, 25 Jan 2011 13:42:04 +0000, TheScullster wrote:
So the question is: Assuming that this new build has uPVC fascias as
well as guttering, are the guttering brackets more likely to come
unfixed from uPVC fascias under heavy load? Are the bracket fixing
screws threaded simply into the thin fascia? Or was this just one job
they hadn't got quite right?

I had some plastic guttering with metal brackets[1] - half the supplied
screws (each 3" long with a 1/4" hex head) sheared after the first winter
in use due to snow/ice load. I tore the lot down and replaced with
plastic brackets, which are holding so far - but we'll see how it goes.

[1] they were a bonkers design, such that the screws could never be
tightened against the wall, only against the bracket itself - and under
heavy snow/ice load the bracket would deform, leaving the screws loose
and the gutter free to twist, which would then eventually cause the
screws to shear.

cheers

Jules

On Jan 25, 9:40*pm, Jules Richardson
wrote:
On Tue, 25 Jan 2011 13:42:04 +0000, TheScullster wrote:
So the question is: Assuming that this new build has uPVC fascias as
well as guttering, are the guttering brackets more likely to come
unfixed from uPVC fascias under heavy load? *Are the bracket fixing
screws threaded simply into the thin fascia? *Or was this just one job
they hadn't got quite right?

I had some plastic guttering with metal brackets[1] - half the supplied
screws (each 3" long with a 1/4" hex head) sheared after the first winter
in use due to snow/ice load. I tore the lot down and replaced with
plastic brackets, which are holding so far - but we'll see how it goes.

[1] they were a bonkers design, such that the screws could never be
tightened against the wall, only against the bracket itself - and under
heavy snow/ice load the bracket would deform, leaving the screws loose
and the *gutter free to twist, which would then eventually cause the
screws to shear.

cheers

Jules

Ice load on my 1930s iron guttering was extreme and I expected
sections to collapse. It's all survived but strain on bolts/seal
between guttering segments has caused water leaks there. I'm now
waiting for really heavy rain to find out where all problems are and
check for any alignment/overflow problems. 1960s and 1970's houses in
area seem to have weaker and softer metal brackets which in some
houses got bent down under the weight and long sections of guttering
fell off. Some new builds I pass have plastic guttering and brackets.
In one or two cases the brackets have either broken or got bent
downwards causing lengths of guttering to collapse, but brackets or
remaining bits of them still seem securely screwed to facing.

Toom