21 Apr Box gutters and the importance of having an emergency overflow

Box gutters are becoming quite common again in modern design however it is important to have an emergency overflow.  Box gutters have one letdown compared to a traditional gutter.  If not serviced ie cleaned out, or not specified correctly, they can block up and the resultant backlog of water has no where to go but inside your structure.  This can cause considerable damage.

In order to alleviate this backlog of water, an overflow spout should be specified and installed.  This should be common practice but it isn’t.

This photo shows an overflow spout which did its job recently when the stormwater outlet became blocked with leaves.  The outlet is set below the top of the gutter preventing backed up water entering your structure.  Instead the water simply overflows outside the gutter.  This normally makes enough splashing noise that like this one, the problem was identified and the gutter blockage removed.  Even if the nearest tree seems a long way from the structure, in windy conditions you will still find gutters collect significant debris.