Guttering And Downpipes
Across North Wales
Water Off Your Walls

Half-round uPVC is the standard domestic system and suits most houses. Square and ogee profiles carry more water and suit larger or steeper roofs, and deep-flow profiles exist for roofs that shed heavily, which, on an exposed Anglesey or Conwy elevation, is worth specifying rather than defaulting to the smallest option.

Cast iron remains on many period and listed properties, and on those buildings appearance matters: cast-effect aluminium or heritage-profile uPVC can replicate the look where original cast iron is beyond economic repair. Aluminium and steel systems are used on commercial buildings where durability and long runs matter.

A downpipe is only useful if what it discharges into works. We check the gully or drain at the bottom: a blocked gully backs the whole system up, and a pipe discharging onto a path sends water straight back at the wall. Where required we fit shoes, hoppers and new gully connections.

Downpipe positions are worked out from roof area, not habit. One outlet on a long run of a large roof will overflow at the far end no matter how well the gutter is set; adding a second outlet is usually far cheaper than dealing with the damp wall it prevents.

Most gutter problems on otherwise sound systems are blockages: moss washed off the roof, leaves, nesting material and slate debris. Clearing is quick and cheap compared with what overflow costs, and it is worth doing routinely on properties with trees nearby or heavy moss growth on the roof.

We clear gutters as part of every roofing job we carry out, and we will tell you at survey whether your system needs clearing rather than replacing; there is no point selling new guttering to a property that needs half an hour with a ladder and a bucket.

Some buildings, terraces, chapels, schools, older commercial premises, have gutters behind a parapet or between two roofs rather than at the eaves. These are lead-lined rather than plastic, and they are high risk, because an overflow goes into the building rather than down the outside of it.

Hidden gutters need adequate outlets, correctly formed lead with drips and laps, and regular clearance. We survey, repair and reline them as lead work, and on heritage buildings we form them traditionally.