Gutter Repair Services Plymouth

A leaking gutter is one the most common causes of isolated damp in UK homes, even though it is one of the easiest to spot early and to fix quickly. Sometimes you will be able to see water leaking from a gutter from inside the house, but often you will not notice the leak until it starts to make a dark stain on the wall. If this is left, moss and algae may start to grow and the water may start to penetrate the wall and cause problems inside the house. To spot signs of leaking gutters early, periodically take a look around the house when it is raining and see if you can spot any water dripping or running down the wall (more than just the rain of course). Most often the leak is from one of the joints in the guttering, and should be fixed as soon as possible.

Leaking Metal Gutters

Metal gutter sections are usually sealed at the joints and then a bolt is put through the joint to further strengthen it. These bolts are very often corroded so much that they will not undo. In some cases, a leaking joint can be fixed by injecting roof and gutter sealant into the joint with an applicator. Leave this to harden and test it by pouring water along the gutter for a few minutes. If this has fixed the problem, you can put the ladder away and make a cup of tea. If not, you will need to cut through the bolt flush with the bottom of the gutter with a hacksaw and remove it.

You should now be able to gently tap the joint piece with a hammer and separate the two sections of the gutter at the newly freed joint. You might need to gently tap one of the sections with a hammer if the seal is still holding them together, but be careful not to damage the gutter, especially with cast iron guttering on old houses. Now you can see the inside of the joint you can clean away all of the sealer putty and rust you see using a wire brush. If the putty is very difficult to shift, use a sharp chisel or a flat-bladed screwdriver to scrape it away.

Paint the cleaned ends of the guttering and the joint piece with metal primer and leave them to dry completely. Spread a generous layer of roof and gutter sealant onto the joint piece and on the ends of the gutter sections where they will overlap. fit the two sections together and fit them into place on the joint piece. Finally insert a new bolt through the original hole and screw it tight.

Leaking Plastic Gutters

Sections of modern plastic guttering fit together, either at the point of a downpipe or along the run, in small sections called Union Pieces. The union pieces feature a rubber gasket which the gutter section sits on top of and thereby form a seal. If a joint on a plastic gutter is leaking it is probably the gasket which is at fault. Either dirt has been forced between the gutter and the gasket and created a break in the seal, or the gasket is worn and needs to be replaced.

To release a section of gutter from the union piece, squeeze the sides of the gutter inwards until they are free of the two lips on the union pie...