Are You Specifying Liquids in a Gutter Environment?
(PRWEB) April 18, 2018 -- This isn’t an attempt to discredit liquid waterproofing – it has its benefits and the right product, correctly specified in the right environment and installed by competent installers will stand the test of time. In heavily detailed areas, liquids are the best choice in the flat roofing environment and can achieve results that couldn’t be replicated by a sheet membrane.
The metal gutter environment is completely different and many manufacturers of even market-leading liquid systems would admit they found their way into the metal gutter environment almost by accident. It’s not uncommon for a paint type application to be used as a temporary repair in the metal gutter market and this may have led to liquids, which are intended only as a short-term repair, have inadvertently become specified as a long-term solution to leaking gutters.
A pitched metal roof is designed to shed the water to the gutter and in reality, most gutters are permanently under a large amount of standing water – often on top of silt and other debris. Coupled with numerous joints and the additional thermal movement of a metal gutter, this results in a harsh environment.
Considering the number of intricate details and permanent standing water, plus the time and preparation needed, the risks associated with using liquid covering are high. Such systems are suited to the flat roofing environment as well as successfully adding to the life expectancy of pitched metal roofs with robust coating and cut edge corrosion systems. But their third-party accreditation, longevity statements and single point guarantees aren’t usually replicated in the gutter environment.
The cost of the materials, once tendered, are largely set – but the labour costs for contractors depend on many factors with the weather being the biggest threat. This can affect the timescales of liquid estimators and have a knock-on effect to access systems, plus claims for not completing the works in the programmed timescale.
In a metal gutter, weather is even more significant as this is ultimately where the water ends up. Work cannot continue in the wet as liquid systems shouldn’t be installed in such weather. With most comprising at least two coats, plus any primers needed and re-preparing the area before work starts again, their suitability for gutters comes into question.
The right environment
Steve Cookson, Sharmans technical director, comments:
‘When it comes to specifiers obtaining the correct advice, manufacturers who mainly deal in the flat roofing market are experts in their fields but may not specialise in the design element of the gutter environment. This means they may not give the best advice for drainage calculations, syphonic systems, gutter capacity expectations and so on.
‘Liquid systems, felts, single plys and many other solutions are fantastic products – providing they’re used in the right environment and specified by sector experts.
‘For a gutter environment, the best solutions should be non-bonded, fast to install and unaffected by weather.’
The Plygene Gutterline system is correctly suited to this environment because it allows the gutter to move freely without putting stress on the product and is a single operation, creased to the profile of the existing gutter for efficient installation.
Details are bespoke manufactured off-site, reducing risk and labour time and the system isn’t affected by weather.
Adam Butler, HD Sharman, https://www.hdsharman.co.uk/, +44 1617646500, [email protected]
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