Slight offset in Cast Iron gutters

[Roger H]

Hi.

I'm looking to replace a section of plastic guttering on an extension to my stone cottage with cast iron to resolve leakage/irestore the building. The rest of the guttering is cast iron but the newer extension is 5-10 degrees or so off perpendicular with the old building. Any suggestion about how the slight offset in the gutter can be accommodated? If I run the gutter dead-straight it will be too far removed from the eaves at one end or the other (or under-sail in the mid section).

If there is no product/fix, I'll try and get two spigots into the hopper head.

Your advice much appreciated.

 

[Feltwell]

Pictures would help us envisage the problem, but if it's what I think it is, what's the gutter profile Roger?

If it's half round then you'll find you can accomodate that sort of turn within a standard socket at the point of the angle change, especially if you're drilling the hole for the bolt rather than trying to use a pre-driled hole. The sockets aren't tight at all, they rely on a sealant to take up the gap (roof and gutter seal in a cartridge gun being a lot better than the traditional method of linseed putty in my experience).

I put up new ogee guttering a while back - even with that profile, it coped with one section where there is a definite kink in the fascia board by my putting a joint at the point the angle changes.

If I've got it wrong and your problem is something else, they try calling Longbottom foundry for their catalogue - they have a huge range of rainwater goods including many fittings and sizes that no one else makes any more. If they haven't got it then chances are you won't find it.

 

[worms]

If it's half round then you'll find you can accomodate that sort of turn within a standard socket at the point of the angle change,

Or use an angle grinder to alter the plain end to suit, so that it still fits completely into the socket?

roof and gutter seal in a cartridge gun being a lot better than the traditional method of linseed putty in my experience

Interesting, I've had better luck with the linseed putty than the gunk-in-a-tube that I tried (can't remember now what it was, so it probably wasn't the best)!

 

[Feltwell]

If it's half round then you'll find you can accomodate that sort of turn within a standard socket at the point of the angle change,

Or use an angle grinder to alter the plain end to suit, so that it still fits completely into the socket?

Yes, definitely cut the end at an angle so it goes all the way into the socket, I meant more that the fit between the plain part and the socket is always quite loose - it's nowhere near being a precise fit - so normally the gap is taken up with sealant or putty. But in this case, the lack of a precise fit can be exploited so that the 2 parts are fitted deliberately twisted and out of line.

As for sealant, I've had houses with putty in the joins and I find that eventually when it's hard it cracks and the joints start to weep. I tried a rubberised tape - a bit like a very thick, rubbery gaffer tape - that one manufacturer recommended, it didn't deform enough in the joints and made them very awkward to fit. So now I just use roof and gutter mastic in a tube, like on the link below. Seems to be lasting OK (about 7 years so far), certainly never leaks initially, I guess I'll know in 20 years time if it really is good long term!

http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Adh...Gutter+Mastic+300+ml+Black/d180/sd2350/p11002

 

[worms]

I tried a rubberised tape - a bit like a very thick, rubbery gaffer tape - that one manufacturer recommended,

A lot of the joints in my gutters were a mess of some sticky/tarry substance with a foil tape in amongst it, it was very difficult to remove when I was cleaning up the joints prior to reinstating the gutters. But it probably had held for quite some time and had provided a flexible seal for a number of years.

On a single storey building, it is so easy to do with linseed putty that I think I would be happy to look on this as an every-seven-years-or-so job when the gutters need re-painting.

 

[Roger H]

Thanks for replies, yes its a half round and I think the suggesting of angle grinding it will work. Was thinking of the problem from the ground and a while since I've seen dismantled gutters. Appreciated.