The choice of a rainwater system often comes
down to two decisions; domestic / commercial and aesthetics.
Half round and square systems are generally used for domestic
properties although Ogee and Sovereign provide a more aesthetically
pleasing look. The Half round system is available in 75mm
for situations such as sheds or garages and 150mm for commercial
applications. As well as 150mm half round, Polyflow deep
capacity gutter is also available for commercial applications.
Sovereign and Ogee can be used on commercial applications
although flow requirements should be checked.
Handling and Storage
Although rainwater gutter, downpipe and the associated
fittings are strong and lightweight, care must be taken
when handling.
Extra precaution should be taken in cold conditions due
to the reduction in impact strength of plastic products.
All gutter and downpipe extrusions should be stored away
from direct sunlight and preferably under cover. When stored
in any form of racking all extrusions should be supported
at no more than two metre intervals.
Fittings should be kept under cover in their respective
packaging until such time as required for installation.
Solvent cement should also be kept out of
direct sunlight or away from any other heat source.
Jointing Brackets and Supports
1. Preparing gutters & pipes
All rainwater gutters and pipes must be squarely
cut and all burrs must be removed. It is recommended that
a fine toothed handsaw is used. Care must be taken when
cutting gutters and pipes in cold or damp conditions due
to the slippery nature of the pipe surface.
2. Gutter position
All gutters should be installed as high as possible and
be positioned so that the edge of the roof is central to
the cross section of the profile.
Although the performance of Polypipe gutter profiles enables
them to be installed level it is recommended that a fall
of 1:600 is achieved. Supporting at the recommended spacings
(see table 5) will reduce any sort of ponding, sagging or
silting.
3. Brackets and supports – General
All systems feature a standard pvcu fascia bracket
as well as top and side rafter brackets and rise and fall
brackets in galvanised metal. Also included in the range
are top and side universal rafter arms for use with all
Polypipe gutter fascia brackets (except 150mm half round)
and gutter unions and running outlets.
As part of the Sovereign and Ogee ranges, is a top hang
bracket which provides further enhancement of the gutter
profile whilst giving support which is virtually invisible
from ground level.
All supports should be fixed at centres not exceeding those
detailed in table 5 as well as adjacent to both ends of
any gutter angles.It is recommended that the bracket furthest
away from the downpipe outlet is installed first. This means
that if a fall is applied to the gutter this will be the
highest bracket installed, therefore the correct gutter
height will be determined immediately as installation commences.
Fascia Brackets
All Polypipe gutter fascia brackets incorporate three screw
holes and it is recommended that all three are utilised
in order to counter the effects of heavy snow fall or high
winds. It is also recommended that support centres are reduced
in situations where such heavy snow fall or high winds are
common.
All components should be secured to the fascia
using corrosion resistant No.10 screws.
Normally traditional techniques are used when installing
fascia brackets i.e. using a plumb line along the length
of the fascia board and fixing brackets at intervals as
shown in table 5 above.
If there is excessive overhang from the roof tiles then
it is possible to use a spacer plate (RR39) to bring the
gutter forward by 15mm. This may prevent the need for a
wider profile gutter. In this instance spacer plates should
be used behind all fascia brackets, unions and outlets.
Necessary space must be left between support
brackets for any unions or outlets. Unions and outlets must
be secured to the fascia utilising the screw holes provided
on each fitting.
Once all brackets, unions and outlets are in place the
gutter can then be clipped into place.
All Polypipe rainwater systems use a flexible clipping
band to secure the gutter profile providing a sound watertight
joint. There is no need to remove the clipping band to complete
the installation. The gutter is simply offered into the
bracket, union or outlet with the side nearest the fascia
being introduced first. Then by applying a little downward
pressure to the gutter the clipping band is pushed over
the top edge of the gutter.
On all gutter joints an expansion gap must be allowed to
ensure that any thermal movement is accommodated between
two fixed gutter fittings.
Insertion depths are marked on all Jointing fittings, such
that, if the gutter ends are fitted to the “insert
to here” lines there will be ample provision for expansion
and contraction under normal UK conditions.
It is recommended that external stop ends should only be
used where the gutter length from the running outlet does
not exceed 300mm.
Where gutter lengths exceed 300mm, a fixed union bracket
and an internal stop
end should be used to ensure that expansion and contraction
is controlled.
Top Hanging Brackets
In addition to the standard fascia bracket the Sovereign
and Ogee ranges also incorporate two top hang brackets,
one being for standard installations, the other being an
angled bracket for use with conservatories. The method of
fixing the brackets to the fascia is exactly the same as
the standard fascia bracket.
Rafter Brackets
In addition to the range of fascia brackets Polypipe offers
and range of rafter brackets.
Rafter brackets can be used where there is no fascia board
in place to fix a bracket to.
They are screwed to the rafters either before the roof is
fixed in place (top rafter bracket) or after the roof is
completed (side rafter bracket). Side rafter brackets are
ideal for maintenance work as they can be installed with
the roof in place.
Standard Rafter Brackets only fit around gutter, not fittings.
It is necessary to use the Universal Rafter Brackets to
connect Unions and Running Outlets.
Should a gradient be required in the gutter run then rise
and fall brackets can be used as an alternative to the rafter
brackets where there is no fascia board in place.
If the installer wishes he can also use the
universal rafter arm in combination with a standard fascia
bracket to include a fall. These are available in top and
side variations and allow for up to 65mm height adjustment.
Standard Rafter Brackets only fit around gutter, not fittings.
It is necessary to use the Universal Rafter Brackets to
connect Unions and Running Outlets.
Universal rafter arms are suitable for all Polypipe fascia
brackets other than the 150mm half round system.
All rafter brackets are galvanised metal therefore corrosion
resistant.
When using rafter type brackets all gutter joints must
be made using gutter union brackets / universal rafter brackets
or, alternatively, supports should also be fixed either
side of each fitting in any gutter run.
Downpipe Installation
It is recommended that all downpipes are solvent welded
to the running outlets prevent any dropping of downpipes
due to the thermal expansion of the plastic pipe system,
10mm expansion gaps must be left between the end of the
downpipe and the bottom of the sockets of all other fittings
in the downpipe run.
As with gutter runs all downpipe runs must be securely
supported. Support centres are shown in the table below.
Additional to the supports required by table 6 all offsets,
connectors, shoes and access pipes should be securely supported.
Outlets and Offsets
All Polypipe downpipes will connect directly on to the
spigot of a running outlet.
Due to building design it is usually not possible to connect
a downpipe to the outlet and continue this to the drain
connection without any joints, an offset is often required
at the gutter outlet.
All offsets at roof line level are achieved by using the
offset bends detailed in the product guide.
5mm square and 68mm circular are available
in both 92.5† and 112.5†. 50mm is available
in 112.5† angle only. To give the offset joints a
clean look the RR 136 joint cover is available for the 68mm
round downpipe system.
All offsets should be supported directly beneath the lower
offset bend by a pipe bracket or clip or in the case of
68mm square downpipes the RS233 / RS234 pipe fittings combine
a pipe connector with a bracket to give a secure fixing.
Should there be a case where the downpipe needs to stand
off the wall slightly, i.e. offset decorative brickwork
or tudor style beams, then a downpipe spacer (PA20) can
be used to give an extra 30mm clearance between the downpipe
and the wall.
For connections to drains including rainwater shoes and
adaptors see Connections to Drainage Systems section.
Connection to other Materials
As part of the half round, square and ogee
ranges Polypipe supply a range of gutter adaptors to connect
to existing metal profiles. These include connections to
half round, square and both left and right hand ogee profiles.
Connection to the metal gutter is made by
installing a bolt through both the adaptor and the metal
gutter section and sealing the joint with an appropriate
waterproof mastic.
All adaptors must be supported at either side of the connection.
