The following article will help you in a big way when it comes to downpipe repairs.
To clear a blockage in a straight downpipe, tie a rag firmly to one end of a long pole and poke it down the pipe. Once the blockage has been dislodged, flush the pipe thoroughly with a hose.
If a gutter sags, water may overflow or the joints may crack and leak. A bucket of water poured in at the highest point of the system reveals any such defects.
The commonest causes of sagging are broken or bent brackets, or loose fixing screws or spikes. Most guttering is supported on brackets screwed either to the fascia boards underneath the eaves of the roof or to the ends of the roof rafters.
To rectify a sagging gutter, remove the defective sections and examine the brackets to see if they are firmly fixed. If they are not, use longer screws to secure them. Where brackets are bent or corroded, replace them with matching new ones.
Replacing a rafter bracket normally involves removing the roof covering directly above it, though this problem can often be overcome by fixing a fascia bracket adjacent to the faulty rafter bracket to give the necessary extra support.
Ogee section guttering differs from other types in that it is screwed or spiked directly onto the fascia. Sagging here is usually caused by the fixing devices rusting and then pulling away from the fascia. In this case, plug the holes and re-fasten with new screws or spikes.
A common fault with guttering occurs where the slope or fall towards the downpipe outlet becomes distorted-because of faulty installation or settlement of the house itself. Too steep a fall causes water to overflow at the downpipe outlet. Too shallow a fall results in a build up of water and sediment along the run.
To determine the correct fall for an incorrectly aligned section, tie a length of twine along the top of the gutter-from the high end to the outflow point-and use it as a guide to reposition the intervening supports. The gutter should fall 25mm for every 3m of its length.
These were some of the tips in terms of maintenance of your gutters and downpipes. Hope you find this read informative and helpful.