Check your Gutters!
If you are an owner builder & renovating ,check to ensure your plumber is registered ,and do so when building a new home as well…
If the sound of rain on your roof is followed by the sound of a waterfall cascading down the side of your house, you could have a guttering problem.
Properly installed and maintained gutters and downpipes are vital in allowing rainwater to flow from the roof to the storm water drains.
Victorian Building Authority (VBA) Director of Technical and Regulation Joseph Genco says property damage and expensive repairs can be avoided by cleaning and maintaining your gutters and replacing worn out or corroded sections.
“The installation and replacement of guttering and most roofing components must be carried out by a suitably registered or licensed plumber and a compliance certificate must be issued at the completion of any work costing more than $750,” said Mr Genco.
“Owner-builders embarking on a new project also need to make sure that all roofing such as metallic or polycarbonate roofing, including eaves and box gutters are installed by registered or licensed plumbers and that a compliance certificate for that work is issued by a licensed plumber.”
The VBA’s Plumbing Inspection Program has identified the widespread installation of non-compliant box gutters that are undersize, have changes of direction or do not terminate correctly to sumps or rainheads.
VBA team members have spoken to plumbers and builders that may have been unaware of some of the specific installation requirements for these types of gutters and will continue to work with industry to help and educate practitioners on the installation requirements for compliant roof drainage systems.
Mr Genco says to ensure box and eaves gutters are compliant with the plumbing laws; architects, designers, builders and plumbers need to work together and be aware of the design parameters contained within the relevant installation standards.
For information regarding the correct installation of box and eaves guttering, read the plumbing practitioner resources on VBA’s website.
June 7 2017 – Seamus Bromley
