Finlock concrete guttering Information, help and tips on many areas of roofing including trusses, tiling, venting, insulation etc....

[hayley]

Hi,
I am new here but what a great site for people with a home from hell like ours
We moved here 2 years ago and the bungalow has finlock guttering.Lots of people have never herd of finlock and believe you me i wish i had never herd of it.
To cut a long story short we was ripped off by a norwich in norfolk based firm as they quoted us to completlety remove the finlock guttering which is a very expensive and hard job to do but desperate we were as when we drilled a hole water run out of the cavity wall as the water had been leaking in through the guttering and filled the cavity wall.They wanted cash up front and desperate and stupid we were we paid them.After i was in tears as they cut a chunk out of the guttering and then said they did not know what they were doing we had to sit down and work out what to do.Eventually they cut off all the over hanging guttering ,extended the roof a bit and then boxed in the finlock with UPV.This i believe was possibly the best option but we paid for the full work but we never got our cash back or any sighns of a guarantee.I would love to name and shame but i know i am not aloud to do so on here and we could have taken them to court but if we lost we would end up with a large solicitor bill.
With this work completeed we hope the water will stay at bay.But we have cracks round all the ceilings and around the wall where you can see the line of the finlock built into the wall.We have damp all round the edges of the outer walls .
Has anyone here ever had experience of this as we would like to know what to do next.We wont decorate as it seem a waste of time for the damp to show up again in a few weeks. Will the walls eventually dry out ?? Will our home eventually be nice ??Please help as this is just one problem we would like help with on our home from hell.

[oxfordite]

Perhaps you have solved this problem by now, if so, please post the details of what has happened and how you fixed it.
Otherwise, I can tell you the following:

1. The proper technique for fixing them is to cut off a suitable amount (the extent of overhang from roof tiles varies), attach wooden fascia boards, then attach UPVC fascia board that wrap around the base of the wooden boards.
2. lift the first row of tiles and attach 1cm continuous eave vents to the top of the fascia - these are hidden by the tiles/guttering, but are essential for roof ventilation
3. replace roof tiles, then attach suitable guttering - a good company will fit extruded aluminium as opposed to plastic gutters, though this choice is the least of your worries.

Most people do none of this and simply line the gutters by one of a number of means, some are better than others, but none resolve water entering the roof/wall cavity via porous mortar.
I am dismayed to read that you could see cracks on the inside walls; clearly the firm you employed were rather rough, and/or, the finlock gutters were failing badly, with poor mortar joints, and so the cutting of the overhanging concrete gutter caused some movement and cracking of the joints revealed inside.
I would just provide good heat and ventilation to aid drying of the clearly very wet cavity, until such time as the wall was clearly dry - a moisture meter might be required to test. Until that time, no decorating or plastering is worthwhile.
Once dry, attend to making good the wall surface and decorating same.

A good cavity wall insulation firm should not agree to insulate homes with concrete finlock gutters, since these are prone to allow/bring water into the roof/cavity, and such moisture will then penetrate the house...

[timmyjim]

Tim Gray

Being a master carpenter & Joiner I hope I have been trained the right way in the use and treatment and on going maintenance of timber.

I have been replacing concrete guttering or Flinlock Guttering for some ten years now and I have seen some real bodge ups in my time.

First of all you must work off a safe and secure scaffold and at the correct height. Towers are ok if erected correctly.

The first few rows of tiles have to be removed so you can get access to the concrete guttering.

The correct way to remove the concrete guttering is very gently by Stihl saw and not by chiselling off.

Once the front of the guttering has been safely removed then you can extend the joists by securing them to the original timber joists.

Some companies do not extend the joists far enough which will still transmit the cold through the fascia board and into the remaining concrete that is left in place.

Once the joists have been extended, braces are fitted to each and every joist to provide stability and to level off the soffit boards and fascia boards.

The soffit board which is the bottom board must be ventilated to allow the roof to breath and moisture to escape.

New 16mm or 20mm PVC fascia boards are now secured with 65mm Nails directly to each and every brace.

By securing the PVC fascia board directly to the timber is just like capping and will enhance the rotting process causing future problems but by installing a replacement PVC fascia board you won’t get this problem.

New roofing felt 1,000mm wide can now be installed and an additional row of tiles. If required bird combs can be secured depending on the type of tiles you have.

[timmyjim]

Finlock Guttering or concrete guttering is a type of gutter system developed after the Second World War mainly because the materials available was in short supply and concrete was an alternative.
The guttering would be maid in block form and assembled on site and cemented together. There are two main troughs one at the front is the gutter is the one which takes the water away and the rear one is filled with concrete to form a lintel to add stability and support to the roof wall plate.
Over the years depending on which system you have the Finlock guttering will break down and leak causing damp patches on the inside wall or it will simply run or drip making life unbearable.
There are several companies which will line the inside of the gutter with various products but this is a short term measure which will require further attention depending on the product installed and the condition of the Finlock gutter. (This can often sag over windows and chunks can still fall off)
Other companies take a few tiles off and install PVC fascia boards and guttering close to the concrete which looks fine but this will transmit the damp and the cold directly through the remaining concrete in time, once again causing damp and decorating problems.
The correct method is to remove the concrete installing angle irons if required and extending the rafters far enough away from the remaining concrete to create a void rather like a double glazed unit.
So the rafter extensions are installed to allow a 225mm vented soffit board which will ventilate your roof space and keep the roof timbers free from moisture.
New 20mm Swish PVC fascia boards are installed followed by a gutter system large enough to cope with today’s weather conditions.
Once the PVC has been installed one metre of breathable roofing felt is installed and an additional row of roofing tiles.
If required bird combs are installed depending on the type of tiles you have.
This is the correct way how to remove Finlock guttering and transform your home into maintenance and importantly damp free.
Kind Regards Tim