Learn Crucial Information About Fascia, Soffits And Guttering On Your Property Before The Structural Damage Sets In.
Unplasticised polyvinyl chloride, or PVCu (or uPVC) as it's more commonly known, has in effect completely swept the board in the new guttering and fascia market. Their are many answers why homeowners now choose PVC-U when thinking about a guttering replacement and new fascias on their house.
It is now widely recognised that the maintenance trouble and the technical performance of timber, especially for roofline, is no longer satisfactory when compared with PVC-U.
A PVC-U roofline is better than wood because, as we all understand, timber is a porous material. Once water has breached the outside layer, it is a matter of when and not if it will require replacing. This then paves the way for woodworm and many other vermin to set up home ultimately causing structural damage. UPVC rooflines will not rot, will never need painting, do not discolour and will continue being maintenance free for up to fourty years. All they will need to have is the occasional wash down with lukewarm lathery water.
Soffits
Fascias, also known as soffits, are boards attached to the top of the outer walls of a building, just under the roof, which then projects over the fascia. This used to be usually made from timber, but nowadays PVCu replacements are more popular as they are light, straightforward to fix, long lasting and more affordable. Timber boards need frequent painting and replacement and PVCu in reverse is very resilient, only fading and cracking after a number of decades.
Guttering
The guttering is fitted to the fascia and collects the rain from the roof, diverting it into drain pipes which take the water down into the public sewerage system, or away from the house to a soakaway, where it can scatter without damage. Larger diameter downpipes take effluent from the toilets down into the sewers. If the guttering or downpipe is obstructed or cracked, then water can leak over the brickwork and go through into the home, causing damp issues.
Gutters have been manufactured from many different types of materials, including concrete, wood, aluminium, galvanised steel and other metals, but before UPVC was popular, they were mainly painted steel. This needs regular washing down and re-painting and if it's not done, rust can set in and cause leaks. This means replacing sections, which is expensive and difficult because of the weight of the steel. PVCU rates highly over steel on both those counts and when considering guttering replacement on your home we strongly propose you opt for PVC-U .
|
