cast iron gutter

[suee]

Hi can anybody tell if cast iron guttering can be welded we have a slight leak and have been told sealant is not good enough and it needs to be welded

thanks

[markc]

Cast iron can be welded but it’s not easy and I doubt anyone would attempt to repair a gutter in situ.

can you post a pic of the problem

[suee]

thanks for your reply i dont have a picture at the moment i think it is where there is a bracket, i have had a roofer out this week who look at it at ground level and told me that he would weld it but im a bit concerned that it might damage the guttering, when it rains it is just like a running drip  

[markc]

13 minutes ago, suee said:

thanks for your reply i dont have a picture at the moment i think it is where there is a bracket, i have had a roofer out this week who look at it at ground level and told me that he would weld it but im a bit concerned that it might damage the guttering, when it rains it is just like a running drip  

I’m guessing the “weld” will be sealer or at best lead sealed

[suee]

i have been quoted 70 pounds would you think this is a fair price 

[markc]

15 minutes ago, suee said:

i have been quoted 70 pounds would you think this is a fair price 

Difficult to say without seeing it, but I really doubt you are getting an on-site weld repair for £70, I reckon it will be chemical metal (maybe) but more likely a bit of mastic

[suee]

Thank you very much for your help i will contact the roofer tomorrow and ask him what he will use.

[saveasteading]

3 hours ago, suee said:

if cast iron guttering can be welded

If I remember rightly it is likely to shatter.

If fixed by some sort of adhesive, I would want an additional gutter support near the join.

Cast iron gutters are still made, and seem to be pretty standard.

[PeterW]

3 minutes ago, saveasteading said:

Cast iron gutters are still made, and seem to be pretty standard.

Sadly far from “standard” as they range in imperial sizes and metric equivalents too ..! And it depends on the manufacturer as well as to the lips and bolting of joints. 
 

I would grind this out til the crack is clean and then use JB Weld or similar to repair the crack and then leave it. If it’s fully cracked all the way round then it’s not really repairable. 

[SuperPav]

You can solder or braze to cast iron relatively easily without any risk of future stress cracking, that's what I'd be doing as it's clearly a non-load scenario.

Bit of shaped tin/copper/steel patch to sit flush with the hole, then simply tin and solder?

 

If it's literally a tiny crack, then a couple of spot welds can also be done fairly easily. The cast iron in a gutter is so thin that you don't have the same issues as welding 4-5mm thick cast iron where you need to preheat it all around to avoid the localised stresses.