Repairing or installing a new cast iron guttering system for your home can be confusing and challenging. With all our different options, choosing what you want and what works for your house doesn't get any easier.
But gutters are essential to your home, and choosing the right one comes with its perks. Not only aesthetically but also functionally. Gutters protect the roof, the exterior and the foundation of the house, so you can't take any chances by settling on the first option you see.
The History of Guttering
Gutters have a long history that dates back to the Indus Valley civilisation in 1500 BC and has had multiple reinventions over the years. However, their function has never changed since the gutters' inception. The basic concept of gutters has always been to move unwanted water away from the dwelling.
During the Indus Valley civilisations, the gutters were made from burnt clay bricks. The Romans later introduced the modern gutters we know today to Great Britain. The purpose of the gutters was to prevent water damage to the property because the overhang designs that were there at the time were not effective at it.
All these years, the gutters didn’t have a downpipe. This was an invention that came later on. Earlier guttering systems directed rainwater off the roof and away from the building's walls and footing. It wasn't until 1240 when the tower of London installed the first recorded downpipe to collect the water that fell on the roofs and put it to good use.
Today, most buildings have a complete guttering system that helps direct water away from the property. Most older properties still spot the cast iron guttering, giving them a classical and Victorian look and feel.
Modern guttering though not very different, comes in various materials and configurations, making it hard for homeowners to select the right one for their properties. Whether you're looking to install an entire system or replace a small section, you need to know as much as possible about cast iron gutters to make the right choice.
Cast Iron Guttering System Overview
When most people speak about gutters, you think about the trough that runs along the eaves of your home. While gutters are a part of the guttering system in your home, they are not the only component. Cast Iron guttering is more diverse and has more parts that you should familiarise yourself with to understand the entire system.
Gutter
The gutter is considered the most essential part of the guttering system and the most popular. It collects rainwater that runs off the roof and channels it into a downpipe to transport it away from the property. For the gutter to work efficiently, it gets a lot of support from other components like:
- Stop ends – These cap off the open ends of the cast iron gutters and prevent the water from flowing out of the system. They are available as external or internal models. The external models cap off gutter lengths, while the internal ones cap-off components like the unions, outlets and angles.
- Gutter angles – These help change the direction of the gutters and ensure it follows the shape of the roof. We have cast iron gutter angles in various angles to suit most designs. They vary from 90 to 135 degrees.
- Gutter unions – These connect the lengths of the gutter. When installing cast iron gutters, you need multiple gutters. The union connect two pieces to form long-running gutters around the roof.
- Fascia brackets – Also known as gutter clips or support brackets. They are fixed to the fascia and secure the gutters in place. They also provide support to the joints connecting to angles and outlets.
- Gutter outlets – They connect two gutter lengths and provide an outlet to a downpipe. They are ideal for properties that have roof overhangs.
- Stop end outlet - A built-in stop end caps off the gutter when connecting to the downpipe.
Downpipe
The downpipe provides a controlled escape route for the water collected by the gutters. It funnels the water safely down the side of the building into a drain. The downpipe also has various components:
- Offset bend
- Hopper head
- Pipe socket
- Pipe clip
- Pipe branch
- Shoe
When choosing cast iron gutters, you must know the gutter profile that works for your property.
We have half round cast iron gutters, beaded half round cast iron gutters, deepflow cast iron gutters, Moulded No.46 ogee cast iron gutters, Ogee cast iron gutters, and Notts Ogee cast iron gutters. Each cast iron gutter profile has been manufactured to fit standard systems and can fit our cast iron downpipes.