Conservatory Guttering - what are the options

If you look at most conservatory designs, they tend to have well integrated guttering systems forming part of the fascia or eaves details. They are very rarely your typical household plastic type by Marley or Osma for example. This makes most conservatory guttering systems from conservatory suppliers using patent glazing systems part of the conservatory design details.

However, what lets most of these conservatory guttering systems down is how they then discharge the rain water. Most install some pathetic small bore down pipe that can become very easily blocked and simply end the down pipe with a ‘turned shoe’ onto the lawn or paving. Very few conservatory installers take the rain water underground to discharge to a soak-away system as most good building practice demands.

This can lead to all sorts of longer term design problems for your conservatory and can result in building failures as the rain water can wash away the sub-soil fine materials under the new conservatory foundations and cause settlement or worse.

Our advise is to make sure that your conservatory supplier and installer includes for confectioning the conservatory guttering to a rain water down pipe that discharges to a gully that takes the rain water underground away from all buildings to a soak-away for safe disposal of the rain water.

The main reason of course why most conservatory suppliers and installer do not do this for the conservatory guttering is the fact that they are exempt from Building Regulations so there is no independent professional person setting any minimum standards which allows them to cut corners save on costs to maintain profit margins.