Gutters

Gutters play a vital role when working efficiently by collecting and directing storm water away from the home and preventing damage to the structure of the home.

It is recommended that gutters are regularly inspected and cleaned at least twice yearly.

It is recommended that gutters are inspected and cleaned in early autumn prior to a wet winter period to ensure gutters can effectively direct water away from the home, as well as prior to summer when deciduous trees have lost their foliage, creating a fire hazard.

There are three major concerns with debris accumulating in gutters –  

• Gutters overflowing into eaves and roof space causing damage.
• Increased fire risk.
• Deterioration of gutters.

Your Venatic inspector will inspect the gutters of the home during their inspection and may comment on the overall efficiency of the gutters.

Gutter Overflow

To ensure water does not overflow from gutters back into the structure of the home, overflow measures must be designed to accommodate a 1 in 100-year rain event.

When gutters or downpipes become obstructed or are designed and installed with inadequate drainage provisions, gutters will overflow. No gutter system should allow water to enter the walls or internal structure of the home when overflowing occurs. 

Examples of accepted overflow measures for high fronted gutters include a 10mm gap between the gutter and fascia or a flashing that prevents water ingress behind the fascia as depicted in Figure G1. 

Installation of gutters must be completed by appropriately licensed Plumbers with overflow provisions in accordance with the Plumbing Code of Australia.

Fire Risk

Debris left in gutters from the autumn and winter periods present an increased fire risk once dried out in the warmer summer months. 

Flying embers can easily ignite the dry debris in the gutters and spread fire to the roof cavity of the home. The CFA recommend on high fire risk days to check gutters for debris and when fire is in your area to plug downpipes and fill gutters with water. 

When filling gutters with water it is important that gutters are installed to prevent overflow entering the structure of the building.

Deterioration of gutters

If dirt and debris are allowed to build up in gutters, it can lead to the gutters retaining water and remaining moist at the built up areas. This can often lead to an increased rate of deterioration of the gutters, particularly around joins and penetrations. 

Even when gutters appear relatively clear, it is a good idea to flush gutters when inspecting to remove any dirt which may be retaining moisture in the gutter.

Prevention

Regular inspection or cleaning of gutters can be completed as a DIY project or by hiring a professional. There are a number of licensed plumbers who provide gutter cleaning services in the Gippsland area with industrial vacuums who can also assess and repair gutters as required to ensure they are operating efficiently and without risk to the home should they overflow.

To reduce the amount of debris built up in gutters, appropriately installed Gutter guards can prevent larger debris such as sticks and leaf litter entering the gutter system of the home. Homes with gutter guards installed still need to be inspected and cleaned regularly to ensure they continue to operate effectively, and dust and dirt debris are not causing and obstructions to drainage.

Consideration should be made to having an appropriately qualified roofing plumber install a gutter guard system to your gutters as inappropriate installations often inadvertently cause obstructions to build up.