mike2016 Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 Hi, I was hoping to use Galvanized Steel gutters in my build but what are people's experience of them? Do they split and rust within a year or two? Is Aluminum Better, I heard you can't put a ladder up against it? I'm looking for ease of maintenance (plan to stick a hedgehog in them), that they are long lasting & keep me away from uPVC. I'm not near the coast (marine/salt areas). Any experiences / advice? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stones Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 I looked into both galvanised steel and aluminium guttering. Both discounted due to cost - compared to plastic, 4 times the cost for galvanised, more for aluminium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reddal Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 We have copper guttering. I remember it being sold to us on the basis of how long lasting it was (no idea if this is true) - though mainly we chose it because it looks nice. We haven't had any problems to date with it (a few years now). When they were first installed they were very shiny and looked a bit bling to my taste - but quickly this softened and they are slowly changing colour. Some people clean/polish them to try to keep the shiny stage - but we are happy to leave them natural. Plastic would have been a chunk cheaper I'm sure. However with hindsight I'm pretty happy the extra money was worthwhile (I wish I could say this about everything on the build!). - reddal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
divorcingjack Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 I think we're going to have our gutters/downpipes in zinc to match the cladding. I can't recall the exact figure, but when added into the already massive zinc quote, it wasn't too horrendous. I deliberately didn't find out the cost in plastic, otherwise I'd never have been able to justify having the zinc. Should be long lasting, but it's more for the look. Excuse my ignorance, but what's a hedgehog? I'm assuming some useful gutter-cleaning device as opposed to a well trained spiky thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike2016 Posted August 18, 2016 Author Share Posted August 18, 2016 (edited) It's something you put into the gutter that keeps leaves and large debris out. Google "Hedgehog Gutter Brush" and you'll see it (not sure about linking to sites / copyright piccys). Hopefully means I won't have to keep climbing up a ladder to tug clumps of grass/moss out.... Edited August 18, 2016 by mike2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfb Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 my biggest regret on my renovation is being a cheapskate and using some plastic guttering for the back of my house. We used cast iron on the front and cast iron lookalike elsewhere but i just can't stand plastic! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike2016 Posted August 18, 2016 Author Share Posted August 18, 2016 Cost will definitely be a factor for me but I've heard a horror story of galvanized steel gutters rusting after only a year or two and thought would it be worth the bother? Just seems a shame to stick up plastic after spending so much on the house! Plus it upsets my eco-whiskers.....! I'd have to send my trained Hedgehog up there more often, the poor thing.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ragg987 Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 After looking at all these options I decided to go with Lindab. Yes there are horror stories and questions about how valuable the warranty is, but in the end the choices seemed to be: Plastic - cheap and WILL deteriorate in a few years and looks horrible Galvanised steel - more expensive, looks the part (we have some zinc roofs and were able to colour match) and *should* last much longer Aluminium - slightly more expensive materials plus would be more labour intensive to fit Copper and steel - ruled out as "wrong aesthetic" for us or too expensive or both Zinc - could not find any off-the-shelf RWG and seems it has to be custom made at horrendous prices Ask me again in a few years if we made the right choice. Certainly 7 months on I am pleased with it and there is no sign of rust. I made sure it was cut with a hand-saw and no power tools to burn off the galvanised layer. My ideal would have been zinc - this seems more common and cheaper in the US where they can rock up on site and roll the size and profile to suit. I looked at a number of the galvanised steel providers. Lindab had a heavier gauge of steel than the others, and their sales rep put me in touch with a company who were able to offer a great price, almost on a par with the other galvanised steel providers. Happy to whisper it - PM me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redoctober Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 12 minutes ago, ragg987 said: I made sure it was cut with a hand-saw and no power tools to burn off the galvanised layer. . Top tip that, thanks. Another fine example of the worth of this forum. Finally, we had a decent quote for Galvanised steel Rainwater goods from Rainclear Solutions. Might be worth a look. PW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSS Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 We're using Roofart powder coated galvanised steel. It's virtually identical to Lindab but cheaper. Seems very good so far but it's Early days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterW Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 42 minutes ago, NSS said: We're using Roofart powder coated galvanised steel. It's virtually identical to Lindab but cheaper. Seems very good so far but it's Early days. Was that direct from Roofart or via a merchant ...?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterW Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 1 hour ago, ragg987 said: I looked at a number of the galvanised steel providers. Lindab had a heavier gauge of steel than the others, and their sales rep put me in touch with a company who were able to offer a great price, almost on a par with the other galvanised steel providers. Happy to whisper it - PM me. Was that for raw galvanised or the powder coated stuff ..?? Can you PM me the details ..?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ragg987 Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 Powder coated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSS Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 1 hour ago, PeterW said: Was that direct from Roofart or via a merchant ...?? Southern Sheeting Supplies in Sussex, and they discounted their online prices so worth enquiring. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gone West Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 I have used Lindab on my current build and it's been up for 5 years with no sign of rusting. It is important to cut galvanised the way you are instructed using hand tools and not angle grinders etc. I used Hunter plastic on my last house and that still was looking good after 15 years without fading. Neither Lindab nor Hunter are cheap though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crofter Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 Have I just been very lucky to have had plastic gutters on every house I have owned and not had any problems? When people say it fails after a few years, do they mean it actually stops working, or just that it starts to fade a bit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdinand Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 17 hours ago, mike2016 said: It's something you put into the gutter that keeps leaves and large debris out. Google "Hedgehog Gutter Brush" and you'll see it (not sure about linking to sites / copyright piccys). Hopefully means I won't have to keep climbing up a ladder to tug clumps of grass/moss out.... if the pic is for comment or review, and acknowledged, you would be OK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdinand Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 What are the actual lifespans of the products? I see that Roofart (why is that not from Oz) say 50 years, which strikes me as being rather short for a premium gutter product in normal circumstances. My dad's company used to make lengths of glass fire guttering moulded from the cast iron original that used to be on their Victorian mill. I know of pieces of that which have been up since 1980, but unfortunately I had to dispose of the mould along with all the others - a 500sqm yard full - when we left the building house. Ferdinand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ragg987 Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 1 hour ago, Crofter said: When people say it fails after a few years, do they mean it actually stops working, or just that it starts to fade a bit? In all my previous houses both have happened, in the last house it became part of the annual ritual to replace snapped brackets on gutters and downpipes, re-attach and re-align gutters. Mind you the RWG were probably 15-20 years old at that point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterW Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 Any uPVC has an aging cycle that will mean it becomes brittle over time. Dark colours tend to expand and contact more, leading to creep and seal failure. You can mitigate this a little by using silicone grease on the seals before installation so they slide rather than jump when expanding. Brackets usually get broken when the correct expansion gaps aren't left. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crofter Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 Thanks Peter- I've always had white or light grey plastic gutters. Only breakages have been when tiles blew off the roof and smashed the gutter on their way down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexphd1 Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 Anybody looked at stainless? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curlewhouse Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 Was cursing the other day as there was an absolute mass of *unbroken* cast iron guttering in a skip at work. easily enough for our house. Went to liberate it later after getting the go ahead, only to find the skip wagon had been Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Temp Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 I don't think anyone has mentioned GRP/fake cast iron.. http://www.rainguard.co.uk/guttering/grp-glass-reinforced-plastic-guttering/?gclid=CjwKEAjwgo6_BRC32q6_5s2R-R8SJAB7hTG-uzWcSXbQL_wWVPjUriyZTwp8jaccoRdvzmG-oQcOLhoCba_w_wcB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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