Gutter Join - Water pooling in gutter

Gutters2022

Hello, 

I am looking for a second opinion on an issue we are experiencing with our semi-detached house. 

We originally had 1950s concrete gutters going completely around the whole property with a downpipe on our side and also our neighbours. We've now had our concrete gutters replaced and the builder has put a join in at the boundary. Now our gutters are separate from the neighbours and we each have our own downpipe. 

The issue we now have is that water is pooling at the join on our neighbours side. The water sits inside the gutter and unfortunately is also slowly seeping through (a separate issue for the moment). I asked our builder about this and he said that the neighbour's gutters are faulty - the water should all be going down their pipe and the fact it is sitting at the join shows their gutters are falling the wrong way. My question is whether this is correct? Should gutters which were originally continuous always fall away from the join between the houses? If the answer is yes, then I guess the builder isn't responsible for the failing of the neighbour's gutters and it is an unfortunate outcome that we will now have to sort. Alternatively if the answer is no, should we expect the builder to rectify this situation and insert a downpipe and soakaway (something he didn't budget for). On this note, should the builder have anticipated this before doing the work?

Any advice much appreciated!

diystarter7

Hi OP
The dangers of getting new gutters when ones house is attached to another.
I'm not sure without going up the ladder etc.
The problem I see is getting the builder/roofer to agree to faults if you think it was their work that caused it.
What evidence would you provide?

I hope you get it sorted soon as I know how you may be feeling having spent all that money to improve things but its not worked out like that.

We have problems with heavy rain and had new gutters years ago, I'm not sure if its the downpipe/soakaway of poor fitting of gutters - waiting to get new gutters/sofits etc but dreading the outcome you got.

Good luck and update me if you can.

NeverTooLate

Gutters2022 said:

Hello, 

I am looking for a second opinion on an issue we are experiencing with our semi-detached house. 

We originally had 1950s concrete gutters going completely around the whole property with a downpipe on our side and also our neighbours. We've now had our concrete gutters replaced and the builder has put a join in at the boundary. Now our gutters are separate from the neighbours and we each have our own downpipe. 

Sorry, don't have an answer to your question, but was interested in how you got the old concrete gutters out without reroofing?

stuart45

Have you got a photo?
Are the gutters joined, or does each one have a stopped end making them separate?

Gutters2022

There is now a cap at the join, making it two separate gutter systems.

Re how we did it without reroofing - the first few tiles had to be removed to access the gutters.

MoreProbs

It depends on a few things. Gutters should slope very slightly towards the downpipes so they drain and not pool. When the gutter was shared with the other house, this would presumably have been designed correctly, so it might come down to where the two downpipes are positioned.
If your original downpipe was positioned close to the boundary, then perhaps it was intended to carry some of the neighbour's water from that side, so their gutter would have sloped towards your side. If that is now blocked off, then it will pool, and I'm afraid you'd be responsible. 
If, however, each house's downpipe is located at their far ends away from the boundary, then the gutters should have been designed to slope towards them, so should be slightly higher at the boundary, in which case there would be no pooling. 
Could you describe the layout then?
Did you discuss this change with your neighbour? Do they still have the concrete gutters?

Gutters2022

Thank you for the post. The downpipes are each on the side of the house away from the neighbour and so nowhere near the join. From what you have said, it sounds like each gutter should therefore have sloped slightly away from the boundary when they were built. Unfortunately in the 70 years that have gone by, it looks like the original slope is no longer there and this is causing the pool. My neighbour still has the existing concrete gutters, although they've been lined.

MoreProbs

What have they been lined with?
I obviously cannot tell what the original design was, but assume that it would have been built with gutter slopes aiming towards each downpipe. This is certainly what your new guttering does on your side?
Did you discuss splitting and capping the gutter with your neighbour?
The problem is, unless you can show that your neighbour's guttering is sloping the 'wrong' way, then there remains the possibility that it always sloped towards your side and your downpipe, and you have not interfered with that. So you could be liable for any resulting issues.
But I don't know.

stuart45

If they're Finlock gutters, they're usually laid level, so your side probably isn't causing the problem. Theirs might have settled a bit.
I misread your first post, thinking you both had plastic.

Mistral001

I think the the original installers would have just fitted the gutters on the two houses like it was one house without any reference  to the boundary between the two properties. 

Water ponds on most gutters at some time.  The problem is the leaking joint.

stuart45

Mistral001 said:

I think the the original installers would have just fitted the gutters on the two houses like it was one house without any reference  to the boundary between the two properties. 

Water ponds on most gutters at some time.  The problem is the leaking joint.

That's correct. Because Finlock gutters sit on the masonry and across the cavity, they are put in level with the top of the brickwork.