Guttering Faults are 4th major building defects found during the building inspection. 1 in every 4 buildings inspected has been found to have guttering defects. The main guttering defects found are blocked gutter, broken gutters, and missing gutters.  These guttering faults lead to further problems like seepage, water penetration from the outside, and fire hazards.  Building Inspection Council has observed the following guttering defects in building inspection:

 

Blocked Gutters:

Blocked gutters are the most common problem. If you do not clean and maintain the gutter regularly, gutters are prone to clog with dirt, dry leaves, debris, bugs, and insects. Houses with overhanging trees are always prone to gutter blocking. This gutter clogging leads to water drainage blocking which further leads to seepage and water penetration.  Blocked gutters are a major cause of fire during the bush fire season in Australia.

 

Leaking Gutters:

Along with blockage, many other causes can lead to leakage in the gutter. This is another common problem in the gutter. Leaking gutter can be catastrophic as it can be the reason for many problems such as dampness, roof damage, water damage, ceiling sagging, termite, and many more.

 

Broken Joint:

Broken joints happen due to clogging of gutters, wear & tear, age, rusting, or improper installation of the gutters. Gutters pull apart and get separate from the roof or fascia board. This happens when you do not take care of the gutter for a long time. Joint separation or broken damage makes the way for many problems like water penetration, damage in walls, sagging of gutters, damage to roof and ceiling, etc.

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Rusting :

Rusting happens in the metal gutters which are easy to install and are the popular choice cause of their sleekness and durability. Rusting is further aggravated by accumulated water and dust from the clogged gutter.  Rusting makes the holes in the gutters which lead to water penetration, damage to ceiling and roof, dampness, and damage to walls. Rusting can result in complete damage to the guttering system and need to be replaced.

 

Faulty Sloops:

For the water to drain properly and swiftly, getters and drain pipes must slope correctly. If the slopes and pitch of the gutters are not correct then water will not drain quickly and will start accumulating in the different sections of the gutter. This accumulated water will damage the gutter through rusting. After some time, water will start spilling over to damage the roof and walls.

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Missing Gutters:

An ignored guttering system for a long time often has missing downpipes or gutters. This is a direct invitation to disaster in form of damage to the building foundation. Besides the foundation, this water from the missing gutter can enter any part of the building such as roof, wall, floor, or ceiling and ruining it completely.

 

Downspout:

The purpose of the downspout is to drain the water away from the building and that is why it is positioned far from the building. But if a downspout is positioned close to the building, it may cause water flooding and damage the foundation of the building.  This happens due to the poor installation of the downspouts in the building.

Building Inspection Council has noted that problematic gutters lead to many catastrophic building defects such as water penetration, seepage, damage to the roof and ceiling.  These problems can cost you thousands of dollars and following preventive measures can save you from these losses.

• Keep gutter clean

• Use steel mesh to keep gutter clog-free.

• Use rust-proof material for gutters.

• Check your gutters for any accumulated water.

• Use the professional gutter installer

When buying a home, it is important to check the gutter properly during building inspection and many building inspectors do not conduct a thorough inspection of gutters due to a lack of resources to climb up the roof. You must hire a professional building inspector who has all the equipment to inspect the gutter and Building Inspection Council helps you to connect with an expert building inspector in your area. For free quotes, click here>>