Should plastic guttering slide through the clips or be held tight by
them? Since the guttering expands as it warms up what should happen at
the clip/guttering interface?

Andrew

On 29/03/2012 16:30, Andrew May wrote:
Should plastic guttering slide through the clips or be held tight by
them? Since the guttering expands as it warms up what should happen at
the clip/guttering interface?

Andrew


Good point that. All the guttering I've tackled has been held firm by
the clips. Even when entering a join or similar - although a spray of
silicone helps there.

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

Andrew May wrote:
Should plastic guttering slide through the clips or be held tight by
them? Since the guttering expands as it warms up what should happen at
the clip/guttering interface?

Andrew

It depends which clips you use.
All plastic guttering expands and contracts, but this wasn't factored in
when it was first used about 30 years ago and guttering twisted and
eventually became useless after most or all of the clips were snapped off by
the expansion.
Nowadays, the better quality clips are made with ridges touching the
guttering, so that there's less contact with each other, allowing the gutter
to slide through more easily on hot days, pic:
http://snipurl.com/22txxuf

Phil L wrote:
Andrew May wrote:
Should plastic guttering slide through the clips or be held tight by
them? Since the guttering expands as it warms up what should happen
at the clip/guttering interface?

Andrew

It depends which clips you use.
All plastic guttering expands and contracts, but this wasn't factored
in when it was first used about 30 years ago and guttering twisted and
eventually became useless after most or all of the clips were snapped
off by the expansion.

Plastic guttering been around for more that 45 years Phil - and the biggest
problems with the first generation failures were no expansion room on the
gutter connection collars and no UV protection - hence the early breakages.

On 29/03/2012 20:25, Phil L wrote:
Andrew May wrote:
Should plastic guttering slide through the clips or be held tight by
them? Since the guttering expands as it warms up what should happen at
the clip/guttering interface?

Andrew

It depends which clips you use.
All plastic guttering expands and contracts, but this wasn't factored in
when it was first used about 30 years ago and guttering twisted and
eventually became useless after most or all of the clips were snapped off by
the expansion.
Nowadays, the better quality clips are made with ridges touching the
guttering, so that there's less contact with each other, allowing the gutter
to slide through more easily on hot days, pic:
http://snipurl.com/22txxuf


Thanks for all the answers. I am told that the roofing company (not my
roof) claims the guttering should be held by the clips. This seems to
overlook what happens when a 4m length of black guttering expands in the
heat. The problem is less one of creaking guttering on more one of
intermittent bangs as everything re-adjusts. The only solution proffered
is to add more clips.

On Mon, 02 Apr 2012 10:17:13 +0100, Andrew May wrote:

The problem is less one of creaking guttering on more one of
intermittent bangs as everything re-adjusts. The only solution proffered
is to add more clips.

Roofing company doesn't understand the problem. They are trying to
solve it by stopping the gutting moving, they won't suceed.
Expansion/contraction forces can be huge if what ever is
expanding/contracting isn't allowed to move.

Assuming the right number of clips are in place as per the makers
installation instructions they just need a bit of lubrication. Think
I'd try a smear of the silicone grease used in the joint lubrication.
Unclip the gutter aplly just a the merest smeat to the inside of the
clip and make sure a little gets up into the hook.

Wonder if roofing company also know that guttering should have a fall
on it and not be installed dead level?

--
Cheers
Dave.

On 02/04/2012 10:35, Dave Liquorice wrote:

Wonder if roofing company also know that guttering should have a fall
on it and not be installed dead level?


They do. As I understand it said fall has been demonstrated.

On Thu, 29 Mar 2012 16:30:42 +0100, Andrew May wrote:

Should plastic guttering slide through the clips or be held tight by
them? Since the guttering expands as it warms up what should happen at
the clip/guttering interface?

Clips along the length should slide.

Clips on fittings should go loosely into notches in the guttering to
stop the guttering "walking" out of the fitting.

--
Cheers
Dave.