What Melbourne asks of a gutter
The 2010 storm was a gutter failure
About 2,000 Melbourne homes were damaged in the storm of 6 March 2010, mainly because overloaded guttering led to roof leaks and collapses. More than 40,000 insurance claims followed. Gutters that coped with everyday showers simply couldn't carry that much water.
Salt air is harder on gutters than on roofs
For eave gutters, downpipes and fascia, BlueScope recommends ZINCALUME and standard COLORBOND steel more than 200 m from salt marine influence, and COLORBOND Ultra more than 100 m. That's a tighter rule than for the roof sheets, so homes near Port Phillip or the peninsula's ocean beaches should ask about it.
Leaf litter from the ranges
The Dandenong Ranges are tall mountain ash forest with dense undergrowth and get 1000 to 1500 mm of rain a year. Lysaght says its half round gutter's curved base helps it self-clean and carries a lot of water, which can suit homes under big trees.
Heritage homes have their own profiles
From the terraces of East Melbourne to the Edwardian homes of Camberwell and Caulfield, older houses often look wrong with a modern square gutter. Lysaght's OGEE profile has a scalloped face suited to heritage homes, and councils with heritage overlays may care which you choose.
What a new gutter should get right
- Enough fall to drain: the National Construction Code asks for at least 1:500
- Brackets at stop ends and corners, and no more than 1.2 m apart
- An overflow measure, such as a slotted front, a controlled back gap or a lowered front bead
- Enough downpipes: no more than 12 m of gutter per downpipe, placed close to valleys
- Colorbond or ZINCALUME gutters under a Colorbond, ZINCALUME or glazed terracotta roof, because BlueScope says galvanised gutters can corrode early there
- Sealed aluminium rivets and neutral cure sealant, never copper, lead or stainless fittings with coated steel
Questions to ask before new gutters go up
- What profile and size are you quoting, and will it carry enough water for my roof area?
- What overflow measure will you build in?
- How many downpipes will I end up with, and where?
- Is the steel right for my distance from the bay or the surf?
- Are you licensed or registered for roofing (stormwater) work, and will I get a compliance certificate?
- If the old gutters are fibre cement, how will they be removed and disposed of?
If it were our house
We'd ask every quote to name the gutter size, the overflow method and the number of downpipes, not just the metres and the colour. That's what decides whether the gutter copes in a storm like March 2010. Near the water, we'd pay for the right steel rather than replace cheaper gutters twice. Our national gutter replacement page covers the basics, and the Melbourne hub has more on local roofs.
Want a roofer to take a look?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match it with a Find My Roofer certified roofer who specialises in that kind of work, and they call you to quote. Your number goes to them alone.
