What Tauranga's weather and air do to spouting
A wet July, a drier November
NIWA's airport records make July the wettest month at 129 mm and November the driest at 74 mm, with 112 days a year bringing at least 1 mm of rain. Clear the spouting in autumn so it's empty before winter, and if it needs replacing, late spring gives the driest run for the job.
Sheltered spots hold the salt
Within 500 m of the coast or harbour you're likely in exposure zone D. The metal roofing Code of Practice says spots that rain rarely washes, such as overhangs and unlined soffits, collect salt and dust and corrode faster. That's exactly where spouting brackets and the back of the spouting sit, so they often go first.
Industrial air near the port
Around Hewletts Road, BRANZ found sulphur dioxide levels above anywhere else it measured in the Bay of Plenty, thanks to fertiliser, chemical and asphalt works nearby. If you live close to the port, tell the installer, and ask which spouting product is rated for that kind of air.
Copper doesn't love this coast
At BRANZ's Chapel Street site, about 20 m from the coastline, and at the airport, copper corroded at least one corrosivity category faster than mild steel or zinc. If you like the look of copper spouting near the water, ask how it will age at your address before you commit.
Built for an ordinary month, tested by a wild one
Two flood events in May 2005 made it Tauranga's wettest calendar month in more than a century. Undersized spouting or too few downpipes overflow in rain like that, and the water usually ends up against the wall or in the soffit.
Repair the spouting, or replace it?
Leaking joints, a sagging run or one damaged corner can usually be repaired. Rust holes along the length, splits in several places, or brackets rusting out near the beach usually mean replacement, and our spouting repairs page explains where that line sits.
Before new spouting goes up, the fascia board behind it should be checked; rotten timber there is common under spouting that has overflowed for years. See fascia and barge boards. On older homes, be careful: WorkSafe lists gutters and downpipes among the places asbestos cement can turn up, so don't cut or break old fibre-cement spouting yourself.
What makes a spouting job bigger, and what insurance won't pay for
A long run, a second storey, extra downpipes, rotten fascia behind the old spouting and the need for scaffolding all make a spouting job bigger. The written quote should name the material, the bracket type and spacing, the number of downpipes, and whether fascia repairs are in or out.
Keep up the cleaning. The Insurance Council says blocked gutters that overflow and damage walls aren't sudden damage, and it describes an insurer declining a claim for water damage and rot from gutters left blocked with leaves for years.
Questions for a Tauranga spouting installer
- Which spouting material do you recommend for my distance from the sea or the port, and why?
- What are the brackets and fixings made of?
- Will you check the fascia behind the old spouting before fitting the new?
- How will you set the falls so water doesn't sit in the spouting?
- Are there enough downpipes for a heavy downpour, or should we add one?
- What maintenance does the maker require to keep the warranty valid at my address?
What you can do from the ground
You can
- Watch the spouting during heavy rain from inside or under cover: overflow at one spot usually means a blockage or a bad fall
- Clear leaves from the downpipe outlet at ground level
- Near the beach, rinse sheltered spouting and brackets with the garden hose from the ground now and then
- Trim branches that hang over the roof, from the ground
Leave to a roofer
- Clearing spouting from a ladder or the roof
- Anything on a two-storey house
- Re-setting falls, joints and brackets
- Removing old spouting that might be asbestos cement
What we'd do in Tauranga
Close to the harbour, the surf or the port, we'd pay a bit more for spouting and brackets rated for that exposure and rinse them from the ground every few months, because salt sitting on sheltered metal is what kills spouting here. Further inland, we'd simply book a clean every autumn and add a downpipe anywhere the spouting overflows in a big rain. Our national spouting page covers materials in more depth.
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.