Essential Tips for Gutter Installation

Your home’s guttering system is its first line of defence against the elements. As such, it is wise to never underestimate the importance of correctly fitted, good quality guttering and downpipes. This blog aims to provide essential tips for installing your new guttering, from safety and the equipment you’ll need to how to correctly calculate bracket spacing.

Safety Considerations for Installing Gutters

Safety should always be your first consideration when installing guttering, so ensuring you have the correct equipment is imperative.

Safety goggles

Sawing and drilling plastic can produce dust and sharp particles. Wearing safety goggles will help to protect your eyes from any flying debris.

Protective gloves

Gloves will help to protect your hands if you are having to remove old or damaged guttering.

Ladder

As you will be working at height, a strong, sturdy ladder is a must. Always inspect your ladder for dents, splits, or cracks before you use it and make sure its feet are securely positioned on firm, flat ground before climbing.

If possible, it is always best not to work alone. Ideally you want someone holding the base of the ladder to ensure it stays steady and secure.

Preparation Tips

Being prepared means you will be able to install your new guttering as soon as the weather allows. This will involve having the correct parts as well as the correct equipment with which to install the guttering.

Have the Correct Equipment

Below is a list of the equipment you will most probably need to help you install your new guttering:

• Ladder

• Drill, preferably cordless for ease of use

• Plumb line

• Cordless screwdriver

• Spirit level

• Tape measure 

• Pencil

• Hacksaw

Start with the Stopend

It is usual that guttering should always project slightly past the end of the roof to ensure that, even in windy conditions, rain will still fall into the guttering. A stopend is used to finish a run of guttering to prevent water and other debris escaping.

When installing guttering it is proper to attach the stopends to the new guttering before it is fitted. Follow the manufacturer's instructions to make sure you use the correct fixtures and installation methods.

Ensure the Correct Amount of Fall

When deciding on what type of guttering you require, you need to decide how far the rain must travel. For example, with a run of over 10m of guttering, you may need a shallow gutter with a steeper fall or a deep gutter that can handle more water.

What is Fall?

The fall is the measurement by which the gutter drops to allow water to drain towards the downpipes.

Many plumbers will recommend a fall of roughly 20mm for every 5m of guttering. However, the fall measurement will also depend on the pitch and size of your roof. Checking how the original gutters were fitted will help provide a rough idea of what depth of fall and size of gutter you will need.

Use a Stringline

Once the fall measurement has been confirmed, you will need to install a ‘high’ bracket and a ‘low’ bracket according to these measurements. Once these two brackets have been fitted, you can use a stringline – a strong string tied between each bracket – to give you the line of the fall. This will provide you with the correct placements for your intervening brackets.

Use Enough Fascia Brackets

It is important to use the correct number of brackets to support your guttering. This spacing will depend on the size of guttering you are using. For example, for our standard round or square guttering we would recommend a space of 1m, for our deep or Ogee shape of guttering it would be 800mm, and for our Super Deep guttering a spacing of 600mm is recommended. As such, it is important to read the manufacturers instructions before installing.

Explore Our Range of Gutters

If you’re unsure of which guttering system is right for you and your home, call our friendly, expert team on 0800 22 77 77 today for advice and guidance.