What's different about spouting in Invercargill
Downpours as well as drizzle
With 213 rain days a year, the steady stuff never really stops. Then on 17 January 2009 a thunderstorm dropped about 19 mm in 30 minutes, and fire crews took 26 storm calls, mainly for flooded basement garages. Spouting and downpipes have to clear that much water fast, or it spills over the front edge and down the walls.
Hail around 30 days a year
NIWA says Invercargill gets hail considerably more often than other Southland stations. Hailstones and the grit they knock off the roof collect at the outlets, so after a storm, check that every downpipe is still running freely.
Snow that drags on brackets
The dense snow of September 2010, about 14 cm, was heavy enough to bring down the Stadium Southland roof. Snow sliding off a roof pulls on the spouting, which is why the metal roofing Code of Practice calls snow straps normal in snow-prone areas and asks for extra fixings on spouting and flashings.
Westerlies working brackets loose
Gusts top 61 km/h on 109 days a year, and November averages a mean wind of 20.4 km/h. Loose brackets and lifting ends get worse each season, so bracket spacing, and fixing into sound fascia, matter more here than in a sheltered town.
Salt near the New River Estuary
Within 100 m of the estuary, homes count as exposure Zone D, the same as within 500 m of the open sea. The Code of Practice says parts rain doesn't wash, such as the back of spouting under an overhang, collect salt and corrode faster. Ask for spouting and brackets suited to the zone.
Old spouting may be asbestos cement
WorkSafe lists gutters and downpipes among the places asbestos can be found in homes built before 2000. A trained, competent person can remove up to 10 square metres of non-friable asbestos without a licence, but anything over that needs a Class A or Class B licensed removalist. Have older grey spouting tested before it comes down.
Repair, replace or resize?
Leaking joints, a dropped bracket or a blocked outlet are repairs; see spouting repairs.
If the spouting overflows even when it's clean, it may be too small for the roof area or short of downpipes, and replacing it like for like won't change that. Ask the roofer to check the size and the number of outlets.
Rust through the base of steel spouting, or brackets pulling out of soft timber, usually means replacement. Long-term overflow often rots the fascia too; fascia and barge boards covers that job.
What grows or shrinks an Invercargill spouting job
Swapping a short run on a single-storey house is the small end. Snow straps, extra downpipes, coastal-grade material near the estuary, rotten fascia and two-storey access all make it a bigger job.
Whatever the size, get it in writing: the material and profile, how many downpipes and where, bracket spacing, snow straps if any, disposal of the old spouting and the fall protection. The roofing quote guide explains the rest.
Questions for an Invercargill spouting quote
- Is the spouting sized for my roof area, and how many downpipes does it need?
- Do you recommend snow straps here, and are they in the price?
- How far apart will the brackets be, and what are they fixed into?
- Am I close enough to the estuary or the sea for Zone D, and what material suits that?
- Will you test the old spouting for asbestos before removing it?
- How will the new downpipes connect to the stormwater system?
Safe jobs for you, and jobs for a roofer
You can
- From the ground or a window, watch where water spills during a downpour.
- Clear leaves from downpipe outlets and stormwater grates at ground level.
- Look for rust spots, drips at joins and green streaks on the walls below.
- After hail or snow, check every downpipe is still running.
Leave to a roofer
- Cleaning out the spouting runs, especially on two storeys
- Fixing or adding brackets and snow straps
- Replacing sections or a full run
- Testing and removing old asbestos cement spouting
What we'd spend on in Invercargill
We'd put the money into capacity and fixing rather than looks: enough downpipes for a cloudburst, brackets close enough to hold through a westerly, and snow straps if the roofer thinks the site needs them. Near the estuary, we'd pay for material that suits the exposure zone. Then we'd book a clean before winter every year.
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.