How to fix this gutter under the balcony roof?

[nishtha]

 

 we have this gutter that is rusting and peeling. It's leaking.

Trouble is as you can see it's under the polycarbonate roof.

How can we fix this?

Also we tried putting some tape over it but that hasn't stopped the leak.

Replacing the gutter isn't straightforward as access is not easy as it's a double storeyed house.

Any thought?

[MitchellMc]

Hi @nishtha,

Once you've removed the loose paint, it would be good to try to find the actual hole and source of the leak. It could just be a pinhole, but although degraded, I can't see any obvious holes. Could the water be overflowing the gutter at this point instead of being a hole?

The right side doesn't look like it's far behind, the paint appears like it's bubbling which likely means the gutter is rusting beneath. 

If there are only pinholes, then instead of the tape, you could scrape and sand the paint back and then coat the whole gutter bottom with Rust-Oleum 240ml Black LeakSeal Flexible Rubber Coating Sealer. You could treat the rust with a rust convertor before applying the sealant, and that might help stall its progress on the outside. It's likely that the rust is generated from the inside, so this would just be a stopgap measure.

Mitchell

[nishtha]

Thanks for the response.

While I don't see any pinholes too ..I don't think the gutter is overflowing.

I think it's just degraded.

To help with the rust can I use.

Gripset Betta 1L Weather Seal?

[JacobZ]

Hi @nishtha,

Is there a particular Gripset Betta product that you are referring to? 

The majority of their products act by creating a waterproof membrane preventing water from exiting through the surface it is painted on. It will not help with the rust; it will simply stop the water from leaking through the holes. 

Ultimately, to deal with the rust issue, you would need to be able to gain access to the top of the gutter where the rust problem is coming from. Rust converter applied to the bottom of the gutter will assist in slowing down the rust, but it will not fix the issue.

Applying these measures will certainly help and provide some more life to the gutter, but you should definitely consider having a new gutter installed as it is likely the issue will resurface in the future.

Let me know if you require further assistance.

Jacob