Why Palmerston North is tough on spouting
Strong gusts, often
Gusts over 63 km/h blow through on about 50 days a year, mostly from the west-northwest. Long runs get shaken, and brackets screwed into tired fascia work loose. A section that sags holds water and debris, which adds weight and speeds up rust.
Modest totals, many rain days
The city gets only about 900 mm a year, yet rain falls on 171 days, most often from June to September. Spouting that rarely dries out is where leaves rot down into sludge and moss gets a start.
When the drains back up
In July 1988 streams burst their banks and stormwater drains backed up, flooding more than 60 houses. In a downpour like that, downpipes can't empty and even clean spouting overflows, so know where yours discharge and keep the outlets clear.
Hail in winter and spring
Palmerston North averages 3 hail days a year, most likely in winter and spring. A hail shower can flush a season's leaves into the outlets in minutes, so check for overflow the next time it rains.
Older homes need a test first
With state housing in the West End and Roslyn and 96 items on the District Plan's heritage list, the city has plenty of older homes. WorkSafe names gutters and downpipes as places asbestos can hide in houses built before 2000, so test any spouting that isn't clearly metal or plastic before it's cut or removed.
Clean, fix or replace in Palmerston North?
Start with what's actually wrong. Overflow at one spot in rain usually means a blocked outlet or a sag. Drips at the joins mean failed seals. Spouting pulling away from the house means the brackets, or the timber behind them, have given up.
Clearing and resealing are small jobs. Rehanging means refixing brackets at the right spacing and fall, and if the fascia behind is rotten it needs replacing first; see fascia and barge boards.
Replacement makes sense when steel spouting is rusting through or plastic has gone brittle and cracked. A comparable product in the same position is generally exempt from building consent under Schedule 1, but it still has to meet the Building Code. Spouting repairs covers the smaller fixes.
Try not to let it slide. The Insurance Council says insurers don't treat damage from blocked, overflowing gutters as sudden, so water damage that builds up that way usually isn't covered.
What to look for in a Palmerston North spouting quote
- Brackets fixed into sound timber, with the fascia repair priced separately if it's rotten
- Bracket spacing that suits a windy site, written down
- The number and size of downpipes, and where each one drains
- The material and profile, and the length of every run
- Removal of the old spouting, after an asbestos test if it might be cement
- A clear split between repair work and replacement, so you can choose
Safe jobs for you, and jobs for a roofer
You can
- On a calm, rainy day, watch the spouting from the ground and note where it overflows
- Clear leaves from downpipe bottoms and outlets you can reach without a ladder
- After a big blow, look along each run from the ground for sags, gaps or brackets pulled out
- Check where each downpipe drains and keep that spot clear so water can get away
Leave to a roofer
- Ladder work, especially on windy Palmerston North afternoons
- Rehanging, resealing or replacing spouting and downpipes
- Replacing rotten fascia behind the spouting
- Anything that might contain asbestos
Questions to ask a Palmerston North roofer
- Are the brackets the problem, or the fascia they're fixed to?
- What bracket spacing will you use, given how windy it gets here?
- How much fall will the new spouting have toward each downpipe?
- Do I need more downpipes, or bigger ones, for heavy rain?
- Could my old spouting contain asbestos, and will you test it before taking it down?
- Is removing the old spouting included in your price?
What we'd do with spouting in Palmerston North
We'd have it cleared and checked in late autumn, before the June to September run of rain days, and walk round looking at it again after the spring winds. Where brackets have pulled out, we'd fix the fascia first and then rehang. And if more than a couple of runs are rusting through, we'd replace the lot in one go rather than patching it piece by piece.
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.