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Well. I guess it's time for another finlock thread.
Here's the situation. I live in a small block of flats which has finlock gutters. There are various issues with it - damp (or possibly condenstaion) in one flat's bedrooms, seems to be sagging in some places and overflowing during heavy rain. It also doesn't seem to have been ever lined. Some of us would like cavity wall insulation - but not if the gutters are going to leak into it and cause massive damp issues.
But really, this is less about my problem specifically. In this quest I have done a lot of research - on this forum and elsewhere online.
The problem is there seems to be a few tribes of roofers in the world of finlock guttering:
1. Seal it with a flat-roof resin (Flexi-tec 20/20 was mentioned) and seal them. Don't cut them off, that will compromise the structural integrity of your walls!
2. Line it with aluminium/rubber. It's got a guaruntee of 2 million years and you'll never have a problem ever again!!11
3. Completely cut them off, it's the only way - everything else is a waste of time! Replace it with some nice squeaky new uPVC gutters, they're much better and drain properly and you won't get cold-bridging
Now ... as someone who just wants to solve a problem, this is all very confusing. I get that people have bought into their own idea of the solution and want to profit from their choices - but it's genuinely difficult to know what's best.
Some people in the "don't cut it off!!!111" tribe say that removal of these gutters is ILLEGAL and against planning permission and building regulations. As far as I can tell, this is nonsense - generally planning permission is not required for functional gutter maintainence in normal circumstances, and there are no building regulations specifically for concrete guttering (only guttering in general), and as far as roof loading is concerned the part which bears the load (and not the gutter) would be treated in the same way as a component of an exterior load bearing wall.
But other than regulatory mumbo-jumbo - does removing them actually compromise the structural integrity of the wall? Because that seems like the best way to eliminate as many problems at once. Just not if it makes my roof collapse.
Is it true that installing a lining, however watertight, still carries the risk of thermal bridging (and condensation at the top of the walls)?
Are there any benefits of lining over removal?
From all the quotes I've seen so far, all the approaches seem to be around the same cost - so really it's more about understanding the approaches and picking the most appropriate one.
Here's the situation. I live in a small block of flats which has finlock gutters. There are various issues with it - damp (or possibly condenstaion) in one flat's bedrooms, seems to be sagging in some places and overflowing during heavy rain. It also doesn't seem to have been ever lined. Some of us would like cavity wall insulation - but not if the gutters are going to leak into it and cause massive damp issues.
But really, this is less about my problem specifically. In this quest I have done a lot of research - on this forum and elsewhere online.
The problem is there seems to be a few tribes of roofers in the world of finlock guttering:
1. Seal it with a flat-roof resin (Flexi-tec 20/20 was mentioned) and seal them. Don't cut them off, that will compromise the structural integrity of your walls!
2. Line it with aluminium/rubber. It's got a guaruntee of 2 million years and you'll never have a problem ever again!!11
3. Completely cut them off, it's the only way - everything else is a waste of time! Replace it with some nice squeaky new uPVC gutters, they're much better and drain properly and you won't get cold-bridging
Now ... as someone who just wants to solve a problem, this is all very confusing. I get that people have bought into their own idea of the solution and want to profit from their choices - but it's genuinely difficult to know what's best.
Some people in the "don't cut it off!!!111" tribe say that removal of these gutters is ILLEGAL and against planning permission and building regulations. As far as I can tell, this is nonsense - generally planning permission is not required for functional gutter maintainence in normal circumstances, and there are no building regulations specifically for concrete guttering (only guttering in general), and as far as roof loading is concerned the part which bears the load (and not the gutter) would be treated in the same way as a component of an exterior load bearing wall.
But other than regulatory mumbo-jumbo - does removing them actually compromise the structural integrity of the wall? Because that seems like the best way to eliminate as many problems at once. Just not if it makes my roof collapse.
Is it true that installing a lining, however watertight, still carries the risk of thermal bridging (and condensation at the top of the walls)?
Are there any benefits of lining over removal?
From all the quotes I've seen so far, all the approaches seem to be around the same cost - so really it's more about understanding the approaches and picking the most appropriate one.