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Spring or Easter are ideal times to look for any signs of wind damage or winter frost damage that might necessitate the repair or replacement of guttering, joining brackets or downpipes. It can also be a good time to check the condition of fascia boards and soffits. Getting started, be sure to clean out any debris in guttering, including left-over leaves and twigs from winter. They can easily block guttering and downpipes, causing untold damage through rainwater overflowing and damaging walls, fascias, windows and sills and also damaging any adjoining flat roof extensions where ponds and puddles accumulate. The majority of home owners and landlords have a bad habit of failing to inspect or clean out guttering which can result unnecessary costs in the long term. Today, modern rainwater guttering and downpipe systems offer a wide range of benefits, including: Low maintenance with PVCu moulded designs No paintwork required Lightweight and easy to fit A simple, clip together by hand, installation Attractive finish in multi-colour finishes Economical to purchase and replace broken sections Safety - Using Ladders It is imperative you don't allow rainwater guttering and downpipes to overflow onto paths, patios, driveways and flat roof extensions. Inevitably, slippery algae or ice can quickly form on these wet surfaces and an accident will occur. Practically all guttering replacement and repair work necessitates the use of a ladder with one person working from a height where it could be dangerous: Safety is of paramount importance, especially when knowing over 4,000 tradespeople, builders and DIY enthusiasts fall off ladders annually from a height, causing themselves serious injuries and resulting in 50 fatalities each year. When working from a ladder - and undertaking guttering inspections and repair work - I would strongly advise:
Ensuring the ladder is secure and situated on level ground at its base. If the ladder has to be placed on turf, soft soil or in a flower bed, place a heavy deal or board beneath its feet to spread the load and prevent your ladder legs from sinking into an unstable surface. Place a nailed on, heavyweight wood wedge across the deal to prevent its feet from slipping away on the deal or board. Alternatively, place a heavy sandbag across the bottom of the ladder to prevent it ever sliding on a pathway or patio area. Use a ladder stay to move the top of your ladder away from the guttering and eaves overhang, as it will enable you to access the guttering and fascias more easily. Wherever possible, always tie the ladder top into ringbolts at eaves level, or tie it to an adjacent open window frame. I strongly recommend you request some assistance. Your partner can remain supporting the bottom of the ladder and help stabilise its position. An extra pair of hands will be invaluable. Always remember, a length of PVCu guttering - even though lightweight - can be caught in a sudden gust of wind and pull anyone off a ladder. If you own a detached house and can afford a cherry picker, the hire fee is but a small price to pay for added safety and ease of access to the eaves and guttering. Ensure you have fully considered all risks involved in undertaking the project: if you do not possess the right equipment, leave it to a professional and get at least 3 quotes to undertake the work. Planning and Measuring After undertaking your pre-inspection, all measuring and material calculations can be undertaken at ground level. To calculate the guttering lengths, corners (internal 90 degree and external 135 degree) you simply walk round around and measure each property elevation, taking into account all corner areas and downpipe requirements. Decide upon your new or replacement guttering design to match the existing installation. Order your materials from a reputable Builders' Merchant and take advice on the number of downpipe connectors and brackets and guttering section brackets you will require. The trade experts will advise you on the guttering lengths required when reading through all your exterior measurements. Removing Old Guttering Unclip, by sliding apart, all PVCu plastic joints and support brackets of each section and then unscrew each bracket from the fascia board. Cast iron guttering is a bit more difficult to remove, mostly due to its weight. So be sure to support
any unsupported or broken sections by first underpinning them with 150mm nails hammered into the fascia board or walls, using special masonry nails for the latter. Often metal bolts applied into the support joints of cast iron guttering will have rusted over and may need a hacksaw to release them. Be careful when undertaking this work and always lift carefully after release, beforehand downing each heavy section to your assistant. Unscrew all cast iron brackets and supports until you have removed every piece. Don't let any section or bracket fall on to your assistant below. Fascia Boards With all plastic or cast iron guttering and downpipes removed, the fascia boards will probably need attention. Defects like screw holes need cleaning and filling with exterior wood or plastic filler, and afterward sanding down to a smooth surface finish. Severely damaged fascias suffering wet rot or split timber damage should be repaired or replaced with new preservative treated fascia timbers. Painted timbers suffering from flaking or blistering paint should be stripped and sanded down for repainting with a preservative added first and then a top coat. It might be a really good time to replace badly damaged fascias and soffits with new, low maintenance PVCu panels. The choice is entirely your own and NOW is a good time to make this decision. If you do install PVCu fascia boards, all guttering brackets must be screwed into solid wood behind the PVCu boards, or otherwise the guttering could be blown off in a storm or heavy winds. Installing New Guttering Guttering can be installed level or with a maximum 3mm fall per each horizontal section. You can use a string across the property wall to set a gauge for the level or fall. It is important to remember, your roof tiles and the top of each gutter section must never be more than 30mm apart. Support each length of guttering at 1 metre centres: in areas of heavy snow falls like Scotland I advocate placing supports at 750mm centres. Where gutter angles or joining brackets are affixed direct to the fascia board, you will not require any more supports. Outlet downpipes fitted at the end of a gutter require a purpose-designed, stop-end downpipe outlet. Alternatively, a downpipe may be required more centrally, in which case a running outlet junction will be required. If guttering is fitted on overhanging eaves, you will need to create an offset to deliver the rainwater to a downpipe already attached to a wall. Two 112.5mm offset bends are usually the answer to redirect all water into the downpipe. At the exit point a downpipe shoe fitting is added to deliver all rainwater into a gully. A shoe is not required if the downpipe discharges into a soakaway, rainwater head, or directly into a drain or reservoir tank. NOTE: Downpipe bracket supports should be fixed to a wall using 32mm x No. 10 stainless steel screws applied into masonry wall plugs. Thermal Movements
Your guttering is exposed to the sun and each section joint is designed to accommodate movement and expansion. Ask a trade supplier about inserting each guttering length into the joining sections to ensure supported ends are pushed up to a marker line to allow for expansion and contraction. Failure to apply these insertions correctly may result in damage or creaking noises emanating from the joints in summer. NOTE: A silicone lubricant should always be applied to all seal joints to help with the assembly and installation and with any thermal movement. Don't use washing up liquid, oil or grease as they will all ruin the seals and cause leaks. Gutter Maintenance Debris will always collect in all gutters over time. Twigs, leaves, silt off roof tiles, moss, weeds and lichens all accumulate debris throughout the year. One built up blockage can stop water flow to a downpipe and cause serious overflow problems. Lift out large debris pieces; use a hand trowel and brush to remove smaller pieces. You may also need to scrub out any moss or lichens using soapy water to loosen the growths. Be sure to visually examine all brackets and supports. Ensure seals and joints are not leaking, or have been dislodged by strong winds. Carefully examine beneath all guttering flows and look for any signs of wall staining: it is a sure sign of a leak. Replace or repair any guttering or seal joints where leaks have occurred. Replace any rusty or corroded screws if you (or a former owner) did not use stainless steel screws to affix the guttering in the first instance. NOTE: gutter leaf guards are a very good cover application if your property is surrounded by large deciduous trees. The Right Tools A power drill, driver and drill bits will save you so much time when working in areas where it would be difficult to drive in screws on guttering support brackets and downpipe brackets. A power saw will also cut PVCu guttering exactly to size without effort. A power grinder/cutter will cut cast iron guttering. Cordless power tools make all the difference when doing guttering work at the top of ladders where the risk of falling or getting power cables knotted up could present difficulties and dangers. Safety gloves and goggles as well as an extending sturdy ladder with fixing ties will make life far simpler. Similarly, you'll need a hacksaw, spirit level and string ties to gauge guttering fall levels and get the job done properly.
David writes on behalf of Anglia Tool Centre, a leading stockist and supplier of power tools within the UK. Supplying advice, guidance and DIY equipment to home owners, professionals and DIY enthusiasts.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Tattersall
==== ==== Flex Seal™ sprays out a liquid, seeps into cracks and holes, and dries to a watertight, flexible rubberized coating! asseenonpc.directtrack.com/z/7066/CD4589/ ==== ====