OT - because it's not D-I-Y - Repairing cast iron guttering

I want to get the cast iron guttering repaired on my old house. I'd DIY, exept that it's very high up, and I am scared of heights. I think it needs welding (?) where the the corner pieces have come disconnected. Anyone offer any tips on finding the right person to do the job? I'd like to have at leat a one-year guarantee against leaks.

McB

Reply to
McB
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It's very difficult to weld cast iron. It sounds as though the joints have rusted away, in which case there'll be gaps. I wish you luck ...

Mary

Reply to
Mary Fisher

Thanks for the input. I haven't seen any significant rusting of the body of the guttering. However, I think the nuts 'n bolts may have rusted away. That seems to be why it's come apart at the corners of the house. Maybe traditional methods of repair would be best; I dunno; I'm just not experinced in cast iron guttering at all. That's why I'd like a specialist to do the job. Plus I'm an unashamed coward when it comes to high ladders...

Cheers... McB

Reply to
McB

if you can conquer your irrational fear of ladders you could grab a tube of chemical metal and rebuild the guttering (tricky) or you could simply replace the whole lot with a cast aluminium system.

RT

Reply to
R Taylor

High ladders and long lengths of heavy cast iron guttering .. me neither thanks .. especially if the bolts / brackets are rusting / rusted .. make sure you park the car well away .. ;-(

Plastic may need more support and not last as long as cast iron but is less of an handfull to put up / fix and AFAIK hasn't killed anyone when it falls down! ;-)

All the best ..

T i m

Reply to
T i m

After helpful replies and advice on this group we had seamless aluminium guttering fitted. It was reasonably cheap, done in less than a day, looks very good, is far stronger than plastic, has nothing to come apart and has a deeper profile than the wood it replaced so it's more efficient. It's definitely NOT a diy job though.

We wouldn't go back to anything else.

Of course, if you're in a conservation area where they demand cast iron it's a different matter ...

Mary

Reply to
Mary Fisher

As you have rightly said its probably the bolts that have rusted and broke, which will not cost that much to replace. But if you expect a guarantee that it won't drip after replacing these, it means the guttering will have to be removed and the joins cleaned of the old sanitary cement/ moss/water. Cast iron guttering is bloody heavy so it will take two or more people to remove and refit, so could end up costing several hundreds £.

Reply to
Mark

Good comment. But I wasn't aware that anything would have to be removed in order to clean up the joints (except perhaps the small corner sections). But if what you say is true, and in particular the cost, then I might as well have new gutterring installed...

Thanks to the other respondees too.

McB

Reply to
Jake

I don't think you can weld cast iron. If the corner pieces have actually broken, you will need to replace them. If they've simply come unbolted, they need bolting together again - with some mastic between the over-lapping parts to prevent leaks.

As Mary said, you may like to consider replacing the whole lot with seamless aluminium gutters. They come in at least 3 different colours - black, white, and brown - so hopefully one of these would blend with your property.

I've got them on my house, and we have recently had them fitted to my f-i-l's bungalow - and they're brilliant.

Reply to
Set Square

Do they come in green and pink candy stripes? That would be nice. Just kidding... I've got to do something though, cos everytime I leave my house on a rainy day I get a load of 'orrible wet water, semingly perfectly aimed down my neck!

McB

Reply to
McB

They're easily painted.

That's what we used to hve.

And it did nothing for the fabric of the house ...

Mary

Reply to
Mary Fisher

Afraid I can't agree with that - assuming we're still talking about seamless aluminium gutters.

The raw material is supplied powder coated - and should last for a very long time. I'm not sure how well it would take paint on top of the powder coating - but, in any case, you wouldn't get as good a finish.

Reply to
Set Square

If it's a conservation area, rather than a listed building, they'll usually accept cast aluminium instead of cast iron. They're visually indistinguishable.

Reply to
Andy Dingley

I don't think anyone could tell the difference between our alluminium guttering and cast iron from the ground but it's not cast. I'd have thought that cast Al would be more expensive than drawn.

Mary

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Reply to
Mary Fisher

True, but from the ground would you notice the finish?

And I think it was a joke anyway :-)

One problem with Al guttering, which I forgot, is that it's not safe to rest aluminium ladders against it, you need a stand-off because of the risk of slippage.

Mary

Reply to
Mary Fisher

it's possible but difficult to weld cast iron, but probably not on guttering

RT

Reply to
R Taylor

You might on a bungalow.

OK - I wasn't sure (no smiley) - but I suppose you were replying to the candy stripes suggestion

True, and it also deflects a bit. As you say, a stand-off is very desirable.

Reply to
Set Square

If you were very tall ...

S'right.

I prefer polka dots myself but have to put up with plain dark because I ALWAYS defer to my husband.

Mary

Reply to
Mary Fisher

It's the guarantee that's the sticky point for a builder, ive done loads of these in the past normally if you remove the old bolt open up the join clean it as best you can, fill it with mastic (now silicone) replace bolt it will not leak. But would I guarantee it, NO

Reply to
Mark

Well, I *am* 6'2" - and f-i-l's gutters are less than 8' from the ground.

Glad to hear it! Anyway, "husband" is a bit formal - what happened to "spouse"?

Reply to
Set Square

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