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Gutter leaking worse after cleaning

DeLaCruz

Active member
Messages
424
Location
Cornwall
Job is a gutter clean in a valley - i did one a few rows down last week and lots of thick clay like sludge came out the gutters. The top gutter is dripping on one of the brackets continuously and a black stain has formed on the wall. Questions i have are :
1. Does the dripping most likely mean the gutter needs replacing ? (there shouldn't be a joint in that part of the gutter so i suspect it is just spilling over the top of the lowest point along the guttering)

2. Can i just softwash off the stain using some hypo / anything else ??

Expect a leak on the stain half way down the downpipe section - would this need any kind of maintenance ? Could i just tape this up to make it better for customer ?

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Looks to me like the seal in that jointing bracket is not seating properly allowing water to seep out , guessing the bracket or seal needs replacing , all parts need to be scrupulously clean when re assembling as any dirt will break the seal causing a leak , hypo mix will remove the stain provided it’s not rusty marks , will probably need several applications though , and might clean the wall as it runs down making that bit look to clean if that makes sense 

 
Find a decent gutter supply company and show them the pic and they will give you the correct seal.

Take the old one out and clean the joint well then replace it.

A bit of hypo should clean the mess it has left.

 
Without seeing the bottom I can't be certain but with the middle down pipe joint leaking it could be blocked at the bottom and backing back up the pipe. If it is you will need to disconnect at the top, loosen the brackets and lift the pipe out of the ground. Make sure  no one is anywhere near the bottom when you do it because when it goes anyone within 6 feet will be drenched with very smelly water.

 
Sometimes the bracket / seal leak due to the weight thats in the gutter, this forces the joint to open enough to let water seep out. Once cleared it might not leak


Fwiw the downpipe funnels into a drain that is difficult to access and i suspect is blocked, the guttering is really high up (guess about 30ft + from the ground) so i would prefer to try and do a fix by trying to unblock the lower section of down pipe.

My plan was to vacuum out the guttering and swan neck as best i can, then wedge up the dowwnpipe on one of the lower brackets (with screwdrivers or something) to secure the downpipe. Plan is to make a cut near the bottom using a hacksaw, hopefully the trapped water drains out slowly before i open it out completely and doesn't cover me in **** ? 

Then i will add either a joint or free flow joint + should be able to clear out the drain. Will try and get a picture of the drain bc its a weird one that i haven't seen before. 

 
Put some water up there and listen to the pipe to hear if you can hear it going down. 

Also hold the down pipe and shake it a bit. If it feels heavy it will be full of water... Probably blocked at the bottom.

 
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Some help would be appreciated. There is a mid-terrace gutter that customer says leaks worse since I cleared them. 

Not sure if it's overflowing or is dripping from the seal. Also, they don't have a downpipe, so not sure if the neighbours side is blocked up. 

Could it be that vaccing out the weeds has removed a bit of sealant? Or vaccing after it's clear has vacced up a bit of sealant? 

 
Put some water up there...
been meaning to ask this for a while but what technique do you guys use to get a hose into a down pipe at height ? I have 35ft WFP that I can use, so should have enough reach to get it up there, but unsure what kind of attaching technique to use to get the water ? down the pipe effectively 

 
Some help would be appreciated. There is a mid-terrace gutter that customer says leaks worse since I cleared them. 

Not sure if it's overflowing or is dripping from the seal. Also, they don't have a downpipe, so not sure if the neighbours side is blocked up. 

Could it be that vaccing out the weeds has removed a bit of sealant? Or vaccing after it's clear has vacced up a bit of sealant? 
The seal shouldn't be visible so highly unlikely you damaged it. However if someone had just bunged the joint up previously, with a cheap sealer  you might have disturbed that.

Check the fall is correct as well as their neighbours downpipe. If you can get up and pour water along it this should tell you.

 
Hey DeLa...bit confused on point 1) you say 'no' joint but there's clearly one exactly above the leak stain ??- ditto Pjj, 90%  of drips at joins are because the gasket (in the join - will be two) has become brittle and lost it's elasticity - so the join is not sealed tightly hence it typically steady drips...generic gaskets can be bought, might just need to cut it to fit a little (online or at a specialist guttering outfitters (unlikely to one of the DIY sheds - so buy the cheapest join/part which come with the right sized gasket) I carry a stock (generic gaskets) in the van.

Else the gutter may not have been fully inserted upto the 'insert to here' mark on the joint normally needs a 4-6 cm overlap each side.

Else some bodgers used 'glunge'/tape/glue... to seal it and it's failed or possibly the pressure clip on the join has snappeg and hence no pressure - hence  leaking.

In my experience you will need to identify the manufacturer of the exact guttering used (they are often subtly different sized only a couple of mm out, so look the same but may not fit/leak -they all make them deliberately different - then you'll find most outlets only stock one or two makes (tip look at the downpipe near the foot or 'boot' might slip out easily, mark/name should be stamped on it (each part *should* have a manufactures mark/letter/numbers) then armed with that part or least photo/name etc to outlet and try to get a match - some are jobsworth know nothing nummety's and will not know what it means/where to get it, if so google it and if needs you should find a compatibility matrix online (make X fits make b and c but not make d) especially useful for old stuff like what you looking at, as may no longer be called that anymore or even be weird/imperisal sizes - that one's always fun....

If a gutter is blocked with debris and stagnant water 'spills' over this point it will cascade (like over the edge in a bath with taps left on and plug in) rather than a steady drip (ask custy if has seen a waterfall cascade when it rains...typically a cascade actally flushes the wall and often shows a 'clean' stain) so suspect it's steady leak which keeps the wall wet and bacteria/algae can grow causing the stain. Use diluted hypo on micro fibre - lightly wet BUT NOT soaking, 

wrap round the head on WFP (if you do this) and extend WFP and 'dab' (AVOID dripping) on stain - will clean it, go careful not to drip on rest of wall causing 'a clean stain'.

Point 2) You many find the installer has used a screw thru the bracket and into the downpipe - to 'hold it' and waters now leaking out the screw hole..or it's cracked

But would ditto Partimer, looks like the downpipe is joined at this point so if blocked at bottom this is where you would expect it to leak out (at the first join, is this the first join from the bottom?) so you may have a 'pipe' of water - easy to tell - knock the gutter with your knuckle at bottom should sound (an echo) and feel hollow - if blocked will sound 'dead' thud and 'feel' heavy (if you can wiggle it a little) (if you've got a WFP squirt water in at top at gutterline - if no water comes out at bottom or sometimes you can hear it trickle down insides, else - it's blocked) Depending on the set up you may be able to simply undo the bottom section of the downpipe at ground level and work up..downpipes normally block at bottom (or top) never just in the middle of a straight run like yours (if the upper parts have been properly fitted and the bracket is actually squeezing the downpipe and holding it 'tight' else risk it will drop...)

Do a little investigation first before cutting into the downpipe as may you find the downpipe drains into a soakaway (most rainwater doesn't empty into sewers) and the drain (underground) to the soakaway is blocked and the water is backing up to the first 'gap' halfway up the façade - else you'll cut their downpipe and not solve the issue...just keeping knocking the downpipe down to the ground level if it sounds blocked at the ground level - anything you do above will not help - you may want to walk away (I don't do groundworks get's tricky/messy/time consuming)/ or break the ground to get to the 'u' trap bend which mostly likely will be the 'bottom' of the pipe of water.

Phew after all that...post an update with your results!

 
Its called a union joint with 2 rubber seals in it. Either the seal is damaged or its missing. Funny enough i was doing one today but had the wrong type. Its handy to carry around some gutter seals in case one needs replaced.

 
Some help would be appreciated. There is a mid-terrace gutter that customer says leaks worse since I cleared them. 

Not sure if it's overflowing or is dripping from the seal. Also, they don't have a downpipe, so not sure if the neighbours side is blocked up. 

Could it be that vaccing out the weeds has removed a bit of sealant? Or vaccing after it's clear has vacced up a bit of sealant? 




Vaccing out a gutter can make them leak worse especially if moss has grown around the seals you end up sucking the moss out and bits of grit get inbetween the rubber seal and the gutter causing a small gap and it then leaks , the moss sort of as

 to like a sponge and to a certain extent will stop the leak . When quoting I look carefully at the joints and seals and point out to the customer any concerns I have about the possibility of this situation occurring, as a general rule we don’t replace seals as once you take responsibility for this they will constantly be on the phone with a drip hear and there , I tell them we can clear the gutters and down pipes but any leaks they need a builder or UPVC fitter .

been meaning to ask this for a while but what technique do you guys use to get a hose into a down pipe at height ? I have 35ft WFP that I can use, so should have enough reach to get it up there, but unsure what kind of attaching technique to use to get the water ? down the pipe effectively 




Cable tie the garden hose to your wfp angle adapter and away you go works a treat 

 
Vaccing out a gutter can make them leak worse especially if moss has grown around the seals you end up sucking the moss out and bits of grit get inbetween the rubber seal and the gutter causing a small gap and it then leaks , the moss sort of as

 to like a sponge and to a certain extent will stop the leak . When quoting I look carefully at the joints and seals and point out to the customer any concerns I have about the possibility of this situation occurring, as a general rule we don’t replace seals as once you take responsibility for this they will constantly be on the phone with a drip hear and there , I tell them we can clear the gutters and down pipes but any leaks they need a builder or UPVC fitter .

Cable tie the garden hose to your wfp angle adapter and away you go works a treat 
Thanks man that’s really good advice with the seals much appreciated. 
 

Also do you point the hose downwards with the cable ties so it fires directly down the down pipe? How many do you use ? 

 
Surely just use wack up the pump and use your WFP you 'll see/hear evidence if it's leaking...?

Pjj - yeah DeLa-(wanna say soul)-Cruz says he noticed a load of crud (clay) he vac'ed out - I thought the same - it leaks until the crud blocks the leaks - you clean out the crud ? and then it leaks..

Pjj top tip just say (and do ?)  'flush test' the job after we're done and if any joints still/start to leak - fix/readjust etc else you say 'all fixed' post flush test - "call me if any further deterioration occurs and results in leaks we'll return and resolve for you" … no obligation / life long responsibility BUT future work/(revenue implied)...;-) It can be a bit fiddley but simples and additional revenue  

 
Thanks man that’s really good advice with the seals much appreciated. 
 

Also do you point the hose downwards with the cable ties so it fires directly down the down pipe? How many do you use ? 




Just angle the angle adapter pointing down put a couple of cable ties a few inches apart and put a jet in the hose like I showed you we use when you came down this will blast the water down the down pipe and help break up any solid deposits you can also vac it at the same time , having said that with the amount of rain we have had it should be quite wet anyway 

 
If you want a fast fix for leaks just buy CT-1 (clear), can be applied in any conditions i.e rain or underwater water. You won't get any call back about it leaking again.

 
I was clearing a gutter today and had to fix a leak between plastic gutter and old cast gutter. I decided to try a new trick by fitting a rubber seal from a plastic gutter joint. All I did was put it between the cast and plastic gutter and bolt them together and it worked a treat, no more ct1 or silicon anymore. I will be stocking up on rubber seals from my gutter supplier from now on.

 
We used to use gutter sealant in the tubes to fix stuff like that. I found some silicone aerosol spray on eBay, think it was about £8 for three tins. It’s way easier to apply than the stuff with a mastic gun. It also works in the wet. No need to be unclipping joins etc. 

 
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