We repair before we replace, and we say so on every page of this site. But there is a point where repairing stops being the economical choice — here is how to recognise it.
1. The gutter is cracked along its length
A single cracked joint is a repair. A crack running the length of a section means the material itself has gone brittle — usually old PVC that has spent thirty years in UV. Patch it and the next section fails a month later.
2. It sags between every bracket
Sagging at one point is a failed bracket. Sagging in a regular wave along the whole run means the gutter has lost its rigidity. New brackets will hold it up briefly and then pull through.
3. The profile is too small for the roof
A great many Dublin houses built before the 1970s have gutters sized for the rainfall of that era. If yours overflows in heavy rain even when it is perfectly clean, no repair will fix it — the gutter is simply too small. Upsizing the profile is the fix.
4. There are more patches than gutter
Sealant and repair tape have their place. When a run has four or five of them, each one is a future leak, and you are paying a call-out charge every year to add another.
5. Rust has gone through cast iron
Cast iron is worth saving and often can be. But once rust has eaten right through the base rather than just pitting the surface, the section is finished. On a period house we usually replace the failed sections in matching cast iron rather than replacing the lot.
6. The fascia behind it has rotted
If the board the gutter is screwed to has gone soft, there is nothing to fix a new bracket into. At that point gutter, fascia and soffit get done together — which is more work, but doing it in one visit is considerably cheaper than doing it twice.
7. The joints leak at every seam
Old PVC gutters rely on rubber seals that harden and shrink. When one goes, the rest are the same age. Replacing every seal on a run costs close to what a new run costs, and the new run comes with a guarantee.