altreunau OP t1_iuhgc8y wrote on October 31, 2022 at 11:13 AM

Reply to comment by DeLo_Ray in Downpipe bend required for gutter by altreunau

Hmm this is a good point. There were many leaves in the gutters that we removed and also many leaves in the downpipe. I was able to push a long twig down the pipe and out the bottom to remove all the leaves. This won't be possible when I connect a bend and pipe at the bottom. Perhaps there are solutions to prevent leaves going in to the down pipe. E.g. cut the over hanging trees, or a guard of somesort.

The existing pipe is zink, so I think I will just use zink for the new parts, unless there is a good reason to use plastic instead?

DeLo_Ray t1_iuhhg18 wrote on October 31, 2022 at 11:25 AM

Trimming the trees? Excellent idea. Prevent as many leaves from coming in the area as possible. Gutter guards/screens are also a good idea, but these too need maintenance and cleaning periodically but would definitely help with the clogging situation.

By all means stick with the metal materials, those are definitely superior to plastics in terms of function and durability. I just brought up the plastic flexible type because they're cheap and easy to install, which is the kind of job that most DIY'ers tend to gravitate to. But if you have the option of going with zinc/metal then yes go with that.