Gutter advice please

justpassingthrough24

Hi everyone, I've had an issue with part of the gutter on the garage of my new property. It's been a problem for a while and is already staining the wall so was hoping to get it sorted asap. At the moment I'm being told I need to replace the entire gutter which seems extreme as the rest of the gutter is in good condition and absolutely fine - even my surveyor said it's just this warped part that needs sorting. The only leak is coming from this gap inbetween two gutters as shown in the photo. I can technically push it together and am wondering whether this is something I could DIY myself with some gorilla tape/joint glue? If it needs replacing fully then I'd understand, but I'm pretty sure I'm getting fleeced by tradesmen who see a single woman who clearly doesn't know what she's doing. Any advice would be hugely appreciated. Thank you 🙂

grumpy_codger

the photo?

justpassingthrough24

My mistake - thought I'd put it under the spoiler but doesn't seem to have worked. Here they are:

EssexExile

The length of gutter will go between two joints and will have to be able to move as it heats up and cools down. You may be able to just pull that length along a bit and refit it into joint, checking that there is a rubber seal in place. But if it's too short it may pop out again sometime in the future. Of course the whole lot may be old and tatty and need replacing!

danrv

Looks like it's just become detached from the bracket and needs clipping back in.
May want to look further back on that piece to see what's caused it.
Can be a simple DIY fix if you can access it safely.

grumpy_codger

It would be useful to post the whole picture.
What I see is simply the gutter detatched from the union bracket. This often happens because of gutter repeated expansion and contraction caused mainly by sunlight. If so, the whole piece just needs moving to the right and clipping back to the bracket. 

ETA: and yes, it's a DIY job for a person feeling safe on the top of a good ladder, preferably with a stand-off attachment.
And no, you don't need and don't want to use any glue or tape. If the joint leaks, it's easy and cheap to replace the whole bracket that has elastic sealing strips.

onthemend

Yes, expansion & contraction has caused the gutter to come free. It's a simple DIY job to fix. One tip I was shown to stop the gutter coming free again is to cut a small notch 1-2mm out of the side edge of the gutter where the clip fits, this way the clip locks the gutter so stopping it moving.

Mr.Generous

If the gutter has been cut a bit short so it keeps popping out its cheap to add an extra straight joint - usually gains about an inch. Just cut the gutter further along and add an extra straight union.

justpassingthrough24

Thank you everyone for the replies! Good to know it would likely just be a simple fix. Will post a photo of the whole guttering if it helps at all but my instinct did tell me I was getting fleeced with these quotes.

It sounds I'd need to make sure I can pull the gutter across the adjacent joint to make sure the clipping would be secure. If not would I need to buy a new gutter part and fully replace that section?

I guess the gorilla tape isn't a good temporary fix until I teach myself how to fix a gutter? 

WIAWSNB

Can you reach your gutter safely? If so, have a look at the next fitting to the left of the faulty one.

Inside these fittings is this:

You can see the clips that hold the gutter in place. There is one at the back and one at the front - check they are not broken. And there's one at each end, of course. You'll also see the rubber sealing strips which can lift out. It's worth removing and cleaning these.

You will also see a raised ridge in the middle - that's to stop the gutter being pushed past the halfway mark. And you should see a raised line and writing on the very bottom which indicates where the gutter length should be cut to.

The gutter to the left has come completely out of that fitting. That's becuase it's either too short, or is has gone past the centre point in the next fitting to the left. Most likely it's been cut too short in the first place.

The simplest way to lengthen it is to replace a normal gutter clip with another one of these unions. That will give you an inch or so.

Could you get up to the gutter and take a good photo of the inside of the faulty union, and also of the next fitting to its left? Check that the securing screws are solid. And also take a photo of the whole guttering, please.

What's the white stuff that's around the union where it meets the bargeboard? Is that glue, or just old paint?

twopenny

The gutter brackets are glued to a piece of wood which isn't the usual.

It looks like the wood is just plain and not painted. Neither is it one strip. Is this wood part of the proper fascia?

But yes, you may need a longer bit of guttering but that's pence from a builders merchant. Any odd job man who is willing to go up a ladder or tower can replace it.

Is it a house or bungalow? I ask because height can make a difference to who and price.

If it's any comfort I have too long a run of guttering and a handy man took it out of the brackets and relaid it because of a drip.