Gutters and downpipes
Gutters fail in two ways: they block (leaf litter, silt, and the debris from overhanging eucalypts), and they corrode (old galvanised and early Colorbond gutters pit and pinhole). A blocked gutter overflows into the fascia and the wall; a corroded gutter leaks through the pinholes even when it is clear. We clear, seal and, where the gutter is past it, replace in Colorbond or zincalume to suit the roof. Downpipes block with leaf litter at the head and with silt at the base; we clear them and, where the fall is wrong, we re-run them.
Flashings
Flashings are the metal folds that waterproof the joins — the chimney, the skylight, the roof-to-wall junction, the valley, and the penetration for a flue or a vent. A failed flashing leaks into the roof space and the wall, often invisibly until the stain appears. We reseal and replace flashings in matching material, and we lap them correctly so the water sheds downhill, not uphill into the joint.
Roof water and stormwater
Roof water has to go somewhere. On a Traralgon block that is usually to the stormwater system — the downpipes to the underground stormwater line, and the line to the council stormwater main. A downpipe that discharges onto the ground next to the footings is a damp problem waiting to happen. We connect downpipes to the stormwater line, regrade lines that have sagged, and add pits where the run is long or the block slopes.
After Gippsland rain
The call we get after a heavy Gippsland downpour is usually a gutter overflowing, a downpipe backing up, or water entering a subfloor. The cause is almost always a blocked gutter or a blocked stormwater pit, not a roof leak. We clear the blockage, check the fall, and where the system is undersized for the roof area we will tell you — a small gutter on a large roof will overflow no matter how clean it is.
Valleys and penetrations
Roof valleys carry the most water and fail the hardest — a rusted or poorly lapped valley leaks straight into the roof space. Flue and vent penetrations leak at the flashing where heat and UV break the seal over years. We replace valley gutters and re-flash penetrations in matching material, and we seal with the right product for the roof type, not a generic sealant that fails in a summer.
On the older Traralgon roofs
The older weatherboard homes near the centre often have galvanised gutters and downpipes now well past their life, and the 1970s brick belt has early Colorbond that is pitting. We replace in modern equivalents, match the profile, and where the roof itself is sound we will not push a re-roof — only the guttering and flashings that need it.
Box gutters, sumps and the hidden failures
Box gutters — the internal gutters hidden behind parapets on commercial and some modern homes — are the roof plumbing that fails hardest, because they are out of sight and a blockage overflows straight into the roof space or the wall. We clear and reline box gutters, fit the right overflow outlets so a blockage overflows to the outside rather than the inside, and size the sumps to the roof catchment. On the older Traralgon commercial stock on Argyle Street and the food premises on Franklin, a failed box gutter is a common source of an indoor leak that gets blamed on the roof. We check the box gutters, the sumps and the downpipe spreaders as part of a roof-water job, and we will tell you when a gutter is undersized for the roof area and a heavy Gippsland downpour will overflow it no matter how clean it is.