Guttering and Clips

[Andrew May]

Should plastic guttering slide through the clips or be held tight by them? Since the guttering expands as it warms up what should happen at the clip/guttering interface?

Andrew

[The Medway Handyman]

Good point that. All the guttering I've tackled has been held firm by the clips. Even when entering a join or similar - although a spray of silicone helps there.

[Phil L]

It depends which clips you use. All plastic guttering expands and contracts, but this wasn't factored in when it was first used about 30 years ago and guttering twisted and eventually became useless after most or all of the clips were snapped off by the expansion. Nowadays, the better quality clips are made with ridges touching the guttering, so that there's less contact with each other, allowing the gutter to slide through more easily on hot days, pic:

[Unbeliever]

Plastic guttering been around for more that 45 years Phil - and the biggest problems with the first generation failures were no expansion room on the gutter connection collars and no UV protection - hence the early breakages.

[Dave Liquorice]

Clips along the length should slide.

Clips on fittings should go loosely into notches in the guttering to stop the guttering "walking" out of the fitting.

[Andrew May]

roof) claims the guttering should be held by the clips. This seems to overlook what happens when a 4m length of black guttering expands in the heat. The problem is less one of creaking guttering on more one of intermittent bangs as everything re-adjusts. The only solution proffered is to add more clips.