Why spouting gives up in Christchurch
Rare rain, huge bursts
In March and April 2014, Riccarton recorded 424 mm, or 71% of the city's average annual rainfall, in just two months. The heaviest 24 hours on NIWA's Christchurch table is 118.4 mm, back in January 1980. A run that handles ordinary showers can still pour over the top in rain like that if one outlet is half blocked or there are too few downpipes.
Snow sliding off the roof
Snow doesn't come often, but in June 2006 about 15 cm settled in the city and much more on the plains. The metal roofing code of practice says snow straps on house spouting are normal in snow-prone areas, and that spouting needs extra fixing to resist sliding snow. On a higher Port Hills section, ask whether yours should have them.
Houses that moved
BRANZ notes liquefaction in several areas after the September 2010 quake. Where a house has shifted or settled, a spouting run can lose its fall towards the outlet, so water sits in it instead of draining. A tide line or rust stripe inside the spouting, or a puddle along one stretch after rain, is the giveaway.
Salt on the sheltered side
Within 500 m of the sea or Lyttelton Harbour, or 100 m of a tidal estuary, you're in exposure Zone D. The roofing code of practice says the parts rain rarely washes, like overhangs and soffits, collect salt and corrode faster, and the back of a spouting run sits right under the eaves. Near the coast, ask for spouting, brackets and fixings suited to your zone.
Older homes, older materials
WorkSafe lists asbestos cement gutters and downpipes among the places asbestos turns up, and says any home built before 2000 may contain it. You can't tell by looking. Don't drill, cut or snap an old cement downpipe; get it tested, and leave removal to someone trained for it.
Clean, repair or replace?
If the spouting is sound but full, a clean and a check of the outlets is usually all it needs; see gutter and spouting cleaning. Leaking joints and the odd broken bracket are a repair job (spouting repairs). Once steel is rusting through along its length, or PVC has gone brittle and sagged between brackets, a new run is normally better value than chasing leaks.
Replacing spouting with a comparable product in the same position generally sits within the Schedule 1 exemption, so most homes won't need a building consent for it. The new spouting still has to meet the Building Code.
Don't let it slide, either. The Insurance Council says water damage from spouting left blocked over time is gradual damage, so it isn't covered. In one of its examples, an insurer declined a claim for water damage and rot from gutters that had been full of leaves for years.
What makes a spouting job bigger or smaller
The length of spouting and the number of corners, PVC or steel, and how many downpipes are added or replaced set the size of the job. Two-storey and hillside homes need more access gear, coastal sites need fixings suited to Zone D, and any old asbestos cement pieces have to come off safely before new spouting goes up.
A good written quote names the material and profile, the number of downpipes and where they drain, the brackets and fixings, who takes the old spouting away, and whether scaffolding is included.
What you can check from the ground
You can
- Watch the spouting during heavy rain from a window or under cover: water spilling over the front means a blockage or not enough downpipes.
- Look for water sitting in a run, rust stains, or joints dripping after the rain stops.
- Keep the outlet at the bottom of each downpipe clear of leaves and soil.
- Note any brackets pulling away from the fascia and take photos for the roofer.
- Trim branches hanging over the roof, if you can reach them safely from the ground.
Leave to a roofer
- Cleaning spouting on a two-storey house or a steep section.
- Resetting falls, adding downpipes or replacing whole runs.
- Snow straps and extra fixing on exposed hill sites.
- Anything involving old asbestos cement spouting or downpipes.
- Rotten fascia boards behind the spouting.
Questions to ask before you say yes
- Is the problem a blockage, the fall, the joints or the spouting itself, and can you show me photos?
- How many downpipes will there be, and will they keep up in a heavy Christchurch downpour?
- PVC or steel, and why for my house?
- Is my home inside coastal Zone D, and are the brackets and fixings rated for it?
- Could any of the old spouting or downpipes be asbestos cement, and who'll remove them?
- Is taking away the old spouting included in the price?
- Will you need scaffolding, and is it in the quote?
What we'd do with Christchurch spouting
We'd get it cleared and checked in late autumn, ahead of July, which brings the most rain days of the year, and ask the roofer to run water through each downpipe while they're there. If a clean run still overflows in big rain, we'd add a downpipe before replacing anything. Near the coast or up on the hills, we'd pay for the right fixings once rather than patch the same corner twice.
Want a roofer to take a look?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match it with a Find My Roofer certified roofer who specialises in that kind of work, and they call you to quote. Your number goes to them alone.