Guttering guidelines?

[JimH]

Hope someone can help - Is there guidelines regarding the length of drop off from a slate roof to the guttering (plastic)? For the second year running, every house in our scheme has had their guttering ripped apart with snow sliding off. I realise this might be inevitable depending on how severe the weather is, but wondered what the maximum drop was and whether our guttering might be too close to the slate roof? Houses in an adjacent scheme are hardly affected?
Many thanks

 

[justlead1]

Hi Jim. Interesting question and difficult to answer as there are many factors to consider. EG. The slate/tile over hang, North or South facing, guttering material, good or badly insulated houses, blocked (frozen outlets), All these can have an effect, along with plastic being very brittle with low temperatures and snapping on the impact of ice slipping down roof.
Snow guards can be fitted, but there visual display, does in most cases not enhance the building.

 

[JimH]

Hi Jim. Interesting question and difficult to answer as there are many factors to consider. EG. The slate/tile over hang, North or South facing, guttering material, good or badly insulated houses, blocked (frozen outlets), All these can have an effect, along with plastic being very brittle with low temperatures and snapping on the impact of ice slipping down roof.
Snow guards can be fitted, but there visual display, does in most cases not enhance the building.

Thanks for the reply justlead1 - I understand all you have written - North, South, East & West are all as badly affected... I do not exaggerate when I say most guttering is down & rhone pipes ripped from the walls - the tile overhang is aprox 2.5 inches & into the first third the guttering, which in turn is set about 1.5 inches below... the outer edge of the guttering sticks out by 2 inches. It all seems to tight to me. Due to the angle of the roof the guttering that juts out is right in the path and a direct obstacle to any snow movement... even if the guttering was lowered by just an inch it would still catch the water run off & sustain less damage? Hope this all makes sense?
Jim

 

[quality]

Reg, this, and, that, nobody can be bullet proof in this country with variable weather like we have besides it could be good for some folk

 

[justlead1]

Hi Jim. The measurments you state are county average. As Quality suggests, its a hard call. If the gutter is too low water is blown against fascia, creating other long term problems. This part of plumbing is based on historic data, but certainly over the last ten years a far greater increase in the intensity of rain / snow has been experienced in the UK. The question being can we afford to design this problem out of our lives with something that is aesthetically pleasing.?
Most European Countries that experience snow in quantity use metal (copper / zinc) gutters with far more fixing than the 1 per M we employ here.

 

[stevew451]

and snow boards

 

[JimH]

Most European Countries that experience snow in quantity use metal (copper / zinc) gutters with far more fixing than the 1 per M we employ here.

I think this is the only way forward - I worked a lot in Norway, Germany & Holland before I retired but didn't pay any attention to their guttering... LOL! but I do remember the sturdy, sometimes ornate, facia... I doubt the flimsy stuff used on any new build in the UK (since the 50's), could cope with metal guttering in weather like we've just had... it would be ripped of the wall... ah, well... just have to suck it and see. Another £400/500 literly 'down the drain'...
2ft of snow yesterday... hardly any today... tipical UK weather!
Many thanks for your help

 

[JimH]

and snow boards

Wouldn't have been that hard two days ago... LOL!