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Should you repair or replace your roof plumbing and guttering?

To repair or not to repair: that is the question.

Repair or replace is one of those questions that pops up time and time again – normally for appliances like your smartphone but occasionally, for parts of your house like your roof and gutters.

Luckily, your gutters (assuming they’re well-maintained, cleaned and looked after) can go a lot longer before you need to start asking this question!

Sometimes however, you reach the point where work needs to be done. And that’s when you need to decide between gutter repairs, or just redoing the whole thing.

Truth is, there’s no easy yes-or-no answer – it all depends on the condition of your gutters and roof plumbing.

Here are some of the things our roof plumbers in Melbourne look at when determining whether or not repair or replacement is more appropriate…

roof plumbing

1) Wear-and-tear

Whether you have a metal roof or tiles, it’s likely that your gutters are made from metal. While built tough, they aren’t invincible – over time, they can wear out.

Depending on the extent of this wear, you might need to either repair your gutters, or replace them altogether.

For example, if it’s a case of the screws and bolts holding your gutters together starting to wear, fixing the guttering problem might be as simple as swapping them out for new screws and bolts.

By contrast, if the problem is that the metal itself is rusted and even worn-through (something that isn’t completely unheard of with the older gutters), the only way to salvage the situation is to get a new gutter installed.

Our roof plumbers will evaluate the condition of your gutters, helping you decide which path is the best way forward for you.

2) Capacity

If your gutters simply don’t have enough capacity to handle the amount of rainwater that hits your roof, then they aren’t going to be able to do their job, simple as that

Undersized gutters lead to a host of problems:

  • Rainwater overflowing and flooding your front garden
  • A lot of water doesn’t make it into your drains
  • Rainwater gets in the sidings and foundations of your home

And all of these in turn lead to a host of other problems.

While most of the time the issue is because of a blockage (read: a repair issue), there are some instances where your gutters simply aren’t deep or wide enough to handle it.

Bigger roofs need deeper, wider gutters to handle all the rainwater that hits them.

If your builder didn’t choose appropriate gutters, you’re going to have problems. And the only way to fix them is by getting your gutters replaced altogether.

3) Roof fascia and siding

One of your gutters’ main jobs is to protect your roof fascia and siding from water-related damage.

When inspecting your gutters our roof plumbers in Melbourne begin by looking at the condition of your roof fascia and siding. If they’re in good condition, that’s a sign that your gutters are doing their job properly.

So if we notice that your fascia and siding have suffered from water damage, that’s probably a sign that something’s wrong – and that it’s been an issue for ages!

What’s the best way to respond to this: by replacing your gutters or repairing them? In some cases, our roof plumbers will be able to tell just by looking at the damage whether or not the problem will go away after a gutter repair, or if it requires an entirely new gutter system.

4) Gutter age

If your gutters are old, it might simply be safer to get them replaced completely instead of continuing to fix them.

Sure, it might look like it’s good to go for a few more years. However, years of hard use can cause complications. While there may not be any visible wear-and-tear, that doesn’t mean that you should hang on to your existing gutter.

That’s because in many cases, an older gutter is simply more prone to problems, which can be costly to repair.

Why keep sinking money into repairs when you could get it replaced with a new gutter and never have to worry about it again?

5) The material isn’t up to snuff

While most gutters in Melbourne use steel, there are some that don’t. Look hard enough, and you might find gutters made of vinyl, aluminium and more.

While we prefer steel, that isn’t to say that these other materials are bad – it’s just that a lot of the time, their use is situational.

For example, while vinyl is cheap and 100% rust-resistant, they’re also weaker than steel or even aluminium and have a habit of cracking or becoming brittle in cold temperature, making them less-than-ideal for many parts of Melbourne.

In an ideal world, the original home builder would have chosen the right material right off the bat, ensuring that your gutters are strong and resilient.

In the real world however, that doesn’t always happen. It could even be that a previous owner cheaped out during gutter replacement, and went for a cheaper, less suitable guttering material.

When this happens, just about the only thing you can do if you want to avoid frequent calls to a roof plumber in Melbourne is to get your gutters replaced with a more suitable material instead of repairing them yet again.

roof plumber melbourne

6) Workmanship issues

Here at Watermaster Roofing, we’re committed to providing the best workmanship possible.

Unfortunately, not all metal roofing installers are quite as thorough!

Whether it’s a poor installation that used unsuitable materials or a dodgy repair job that cut corners, there are some instances where the best courts of action is either repair or complete roofing replacement.

Which one should you go for? It depends on the quality of the work!

Our roof plumbers know that you might not be able to soak up the cost of a gutter replacement.

That’s why we do our absolute best to remedy workmanship issues without forcing you to shell out for a new gutter. If it can still be salvaged, you can rest easy knowing that we’re going to do our absolute best to save it!

Whether it’s a new metal roof installation or a simple gutter repair, our roof plumbers in Melbourne have you covered

While we may call ourselves roof plumbers, the fact of the matter is that our team offers a huge range of different metal roofing services – gutter repairs and roof plumbing are only some of the services our fully-qualified roofing team offers.

Whether you need us to look at your existing roof or are looking to get large parts of your roof or gutter replaced altogether, our team can help!

We offer a huge range of different metal roofing services, such as:

Combining strong, durable roof materials with years of experience and skill, our friendly roofing team ensures that your roof and the gutters to go with it aren’t just strong and easy to look after, but that they look fantastic as well.

All you need to do is give us a call – get in touch with our metal roofing team today on 1300 156 650, or click here to get in touch online.

You can also visit us for roof plumbing in Melbourne: pop into our headquarters at 9/22 George St Sandringham, VIC 3191, if you prefer a more hands-on approach.

2023-11-17T02:49:16+00:00 October 13th, 2020|Gutter repairs, Metal roofing, Roof Plumbing|

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