Gutter repairs and guttering in Dublin

Typical signs

Overflowing gutters, dripping joints, sagging runs, damp streaks on the wall below

What we do

Repair joints, brackets and downpipes, or supply and fit new uPVC gutters

How long

New gutters and downpipes on a typical house are often fitted in a day

Price

Free written quote after a visit

Signs your gutters need attention

Gutters do a quiet but important job. A typical Dublin semi can shed thousands of litres of rain off its roof in a wet month, and all of it has to go into the gutters and down the pipes without spilling onto the walls or pooling by the foundations. When gutters fail, the damage usually appears somewhere else first, as damp patches on internal walls, green streaks down the render, or rot in the fascia boards behind.

These are the most common signs that your guttering needs cleaning, repair or replacement.

• Water spilling over the front of the gutter during rain, which usually means a blockage or a gutter that has lost its fall.
• Drips from joints and corners, where the rubber seals in uPVC gutters have perished or been pushed out of place.
• Sagging sections of gutter, often caused by broken brackets or the weight of trapped debris and water.
• Grass, moss or small plants growing out of the gutters.
• Damp or algae streaks on walls below the gutters, or peeling paint on the fascia.
• Downpipes that are blocked, cracked or have come away from the wall.
• Old cast iron or asbestos cement gutters that are cracked or rusting through.

Gutters overflowing in heavy rain

When gutters spill over in heavy rain there are three usual causes. The gutter or its downpipe is blocked with leaves, moss or silt, the gutter has lost its fall because a bracket has dropped so water pools and rises over the edge, or the gutter is too small for the area of roof feeding it, which is common where an extension now drains into an old gutter. Where on the run the water comes over tells you which one it is, and our guide to gutters overflowing in heavy rain goes through each case. A clean, resetting the brackets or adding an outlet fixes most of them.

Gutter repairs

Many gutter problems can be fixed without replacing the whole system. Typical repairs include replacing perished joint seals, refitting or adding brackets so that a sagging run sits at the correct fall again, replacing a cracked section or corner, and reconnecting or replacing a broken downpipe. A repair makes sense when the gutter itself is in reasonable condition and the fault is limited to one or two places.

If a run has dropped, we reset or add brackets so the gutter falls towards its outlet again, and where practical we run water through afterwards to check the joints. When a repair is not going to last, because the gutter is brittle or leaking at most of its joints, we will tell you and quote for replacement instead.

These are the usual signs that point one way or the other.

Leaking joints and corners

uPVC gutters are joined with clip-in unions, corners and outlets, each with a rubber seal that the gutter sits into. After years of sun and frost the seals harden and shrink, and because the gutter expands in warm weather and contracts in cold, a joint that was tight when it was fitted starts to drip. In most cases the fix is a new union or seal rather than a new run of gutter, as long as the gutter either side is sound and still falls towards its outlet. Sealant squeezed into a leaking uPVC joint rarely lasts long. Our guide to gutters leaking at the joints goes into the causes in more detail.

Cast iron and older gutters

Many Victorian and Edwardian houses in Dublin still have their original cast iron gutters and downpipes. Cast iron lasts a long time when it is kept painted, but neglected sections rust through at the joints and brackets, and cracked lengths are common after a hard frost. A single cracked section or a rusted joint can sometimes be repaired, but when several sections are failing, replacement with uPVC is usually the practical option, and uPVC is the system we supply and fit. Aluminium is another material some homeowners consider, particularly seamless runs on modern houses. If your house is a protected structure or in a conservation area, check with the council before replacing cast iron with a different material.

Cleaning before repairs

Overflowing gutters are often simply blocked with leaves and moss rather than broken, so a clean is sometimes all that is needed. Our gutter cleaning page explains what we clear, how often it should be done and the checks we make while we are up there. For a rough idea of the price, see what gutter cleaning costs in Dublin.

uPVC gutter installation and replacement

When gutters are old, brittle, undersized or leaking in several places, replacement is usually better value than chasing one repair after another. We supply and fit uPVC guttering, which does not rust or rot and needs no painting. Replacement normally follows these steps.

Survey

We measure the runs, check the roof area each gutter has to drain, and look at the condition of the fascia boards the gutters are fixed to. If the fascia is rotten, it is worth replacing it at the same time.

Removal

Old gutters and downpipes are taken down and removed from site. Older properties sometimes have asbestos cement gutters, which need to be handled appropriately, and we will flag this if we see it.

Fitting

New brackets are fixed at the correct spacing, and the gutter is set to a slight fall towards the outlets so that water drains instead of sitting in the run. Joints, corners and outlets are fitted and sealed, and new downpipes are connected to the existing drainage.

Water test

Where practical, we run water through the new system to check the flow and the joints before we finish.

Choosing the right gutter profile

uPVC gutters come in different profiles and sizes, most commonly half round, square and deep flow. Deep flow and larger profiles carry more water and are a good choice for larger or steeper roofs, or where existing gutters overflow in heavy rain even when clean. Colours usually include black, white, brown and anthracite grey to match your windows and roofline. We will recommend a size and profile based on your roof rather than defaulting to the cheapest option.

What affects the cost of gutter repairs

The cost of gutter work depends mostly on how much guttering is involved and how easy it is to reach. The number of runs, their length and the number of corners, outlets and downpipes set the amount of material and fitting time, while the height of the building decides whether ladders, a tower or scaffolding are needed.

The profile and size of gutter you choose, the removal of the old system (cast iron in particular is heavy to take down) and the condition of the fascia boards the gutters fix to all play a part too. Our guide to gutter replacement costs gives rough Dublin ranges, and we give a free written quote after inspecting your gutters.

Why it is worth fixing gutters promptly

Overflowing gutters soak the wall below, which leads to damp inside, staining outside and, in winter, frost damage to render and brickwork. Water pooling at the base of a wall can also affect foundations and cause damp at ground floor level. Water backing up in a blocked gutter can rot the fascia boards and the ends of the rafters behind them. Gutter work is one of the cheapest roofing jobs, and keeping on top of it protects everything else. Our fascia and soffits page covers the roofline boards behind your gutters, and our roof repairs page covers the roof above them.

More answers on our roofing FAQs page.

Related

• Gutter cleaning
• Fascia and soffits
• Roof repairs
• Gutter leaking at the joint: why it happens and how to fix it
• Blocked downpipes: signs, causes and whether gutter guards help
• Gutter replacement cost in Dublin: what to expect
• Gutters overflowing in heavy rain: causes and fixes