Guttering advice for newbie

[chrisru]

I've not done any work on gutters before. I've got a gutter that runs on the outside of the kitchen which is a single story outhouse behind a Victorian terrace. It must date from when it was converted to a kitchen and all fittings are plastic. The existing gutter doesn't cope if it's anything other than light rain, so I plan to fit an additional downpipe which can go straight into a drain. My question is around the T piece outlet which I need to fit into the existing gutter - I will have to cut the existing gutter and leave a gap. I can't work out what make the gutter is, it seems to be around the standard 113mm size, but how much do these vary and will a good squirt of silicone make up any difference?
Any other advice? The rest of the work should be fitting the new downpipe and securing it to the wall with U clips.
Thanks
Chris

 

[Over by there]

Cant help other than say mine were spilling over. Ran a hose along it to dislodge the crud and it now works. If you are single story then a step ladder and a trowel? You can get scrapers on a pole for the job but they were too short for my house.

I disconnected the downpipe (had three sections with three separate downpipes to deal with) to run into a bucket to catch the crud as I did not want to let it all down the waste runaway and clog it up.

Edit. I understand that sealing the joins is a no no.

 

[ufo550]

If you can't get an exact match, and its only a small piece of guttering, is easily accessible, I'd change the whole lot. Do you need wider guttering?

 

[Vin Blanc]

I've not done any work on gutters before. - I will have to cut the existing gutter and leave a gap.
Thanks - Chris

In summertime the guttering will tend to expand in the heat. Leaving a 2 to 3mm gap allows for expansion between any joints including the downpipe fitting.

Don't use sealant, try a strip of "Gorilla" tape to prevent any drips. It's waterproof and sticks like Sh.. to a blanket!

Be aware that over the years, the shape and/or dimensions of these fittings may probably have changed slightly so you may also have to replace the channel guttering (including the endstops?) to match your new downpipe.

Vin Blanc

 

[chrisru]

Thanks for the advice, unfortunately I've cleared the crud out and that wasn't sufficient. So either deeper gutters or another downpipe. To my mind the second downpipe was easier as the first downpipe is actually cemented it at the foot, hope I don't have to replace the whole gutter. I think I will buy a T piece and test how that fits on the end - replacing the end stop as a test of the sizing.

 

[Over by there]

I have replaced sections when I fitted water traps for the rain collection but just measured and went to the builders merchants.

However I like simple before complicated and possibly messing up.

My roof section on one side with one downspout would be 32m2 aprox. 8m for a length. Give or take. 3 inch down spout (whatever that is in mm). Blocked down spout? Hard to say if cemented.

My downspouts end at a grate over the runaway drain so I know it is flowing OK. One covered has a rubber cover I can peel back.

 

[Vin Blanc]

Afterthought! - Another lesson I learned "the hard way" was to never insert joints or fittings where the guttering passes just above a window.

Any drips will always find their way onto the glass!

Vin Blanc

 

[its_all_Greek]

Is the water off the roof missing the guttering or is the existing downpipe blocked at all?