gutters

Wind blows gutters up/down.

Heat expansion is along the gutter.

If it's plastic it should probably click in with moderate values of brute force. If it's cast iron / steel / aluminium then it will probably be screwed together.

Owain

Plastic? If so just rip it down and put new up. If its metal it may be worth fixing/reusing. Plastic tends to go brittle after a while.

after you have replaced all the broken clip/brackets if the gutter has had it as it was possibly installed at the same time the clips are probably in the same state

I found clipping and unclipping plastic guttering at the top of a ladder quite tricky. It's really a 2-hand job, and the roof tiles sometimes get in the way. There's probably a knack to it which I haven't learned. It's much easier when done from a scaffold tower.

Plastic clips are very cheap so best to replace them if they're suspect. I recommend fitting the new clips with fairly chunky stainless steel screws. The old clips on my house were fitted with tiny mild-steel screws that had almost completely rusted away.

I would strongly suggest a ladder stand-off, although if you have a really large facia overhang, that might not be enough.

just read my reply and what a load of gibberish after you have replaced all the broken clip/brackets that is,as gutter was possibly installed at the same time the clips they probably in the same state

Here's a good tip: Blow the dust off your wallet and pay someone else to risk it. I get a local builder to do my roofwork, no way would I do it for what he charges.

It isn't the fall that kills you, it's the sudden stop. Seriously, a chap at work was up a ladder just painting, off he fell and died.

Really - and your point is?

As a matter of interest, what caused the aforesaid "chap" to fall off his ladder?

Was it:

Tell us please which one it was.... and I have deliberately left out the - Ladder not tied - as that would come under the heading of Incompetence.

i agree - one more little tug on the gutter and off you go- i have a safety rope off the chimney but i really dont know how to use it... and what if you paralyse yourself - is that worse? half of DIY accidents are falls- the pain in my back reminds me how lucky i was...

Then new is not the best time in your life to start..

Very Very good advice

Don't even attempt the job without a ladder standoff. Much safer, much better stability, less risk of ladder sliding sideways.

Immaterial really, accidents easily happen, the chap died. I'll bet he wishes he'd used his wallet.

Thanks. Don't worry your first reply made sense. I have phoned a few people to ask them for quotes but no-one seems interested in such small work. If I do DIY then I would hire a scaffold tower as I agree ladders could be dangerous. Do recommended any hire places?

Have you tried the sort of companies that do fascias, soffits etc? We have a few, and they're not that expensive. I wouldn't hesitate to do gutters off a ladder in a 2 story house but the bits you buy never seem to fit what's up there, and it ends up a lot of faffing around.

Me and my neighbor had our fascias and soffits done together, only cost £250 each including new gutters.

Its worth asking the neighbors if they want it done and trying to get a discount.

Its quite easy to push a tower around to next door and that saves a lot of assembly time.

My house is almost 20 years old, needed to change a downpipe, same manufacturer, but not quite the same size - does not fit. So if you really want to re-use the clips check they fit before you pull the old ones down, and can't fit the new..........