ᐅ Sealed the gutter with silicone and rivets

Hello everyone,

Yesterday, we were informed that gutters must be soldered, and that any other method is not considered proper or professional work. As shown in the following picture, our roofer sealed the gutter with silicone and secured it with three rivets. The rivets are apparently meant to prevent the gutter from moving and causing the silicone to crack, but according to our information, this is definitely incorrect, and over time, every joint will start to leak.

Before I go to my roofer and add this point to the list of defects, I just want to be sure that this is indeed poor workmanship. It might be that this has been a new and permitted option for the last three months.

Maybe someone has a source stating that this method is professionally acceptable or, on the contrary, clearly considers this work to be shoddy.

Thank you

If he used a PU sealant instead of silicone, it will last a lifetime. It is also used on ships. Roofers often prefer PU, at least in SH.

@Nordlys Thanks for the hint. I did some research, and the manufacturers do list gutters as an application area. Is there a way to verify if it is PU sealant, or would I have to rely on the roofer's statement? But it’s good to know that it doesn’t necessarily have to be wrong.

Pull out a piece. Perform the burn test. Ignite it, yellow, strong flame PU. Small white flame, with white ash. Silent.

It seems to be PU since it burned well with an orange flame. However, I did some more research, and thanks to you, I knew what to look for.

Riveting and sealing is one method of sealing, which is particularly necessary for aluminum and powder-coated gutters. However, according to the "Technical Rules for Metal Work in Roofing" under paragraph 3.2.4, the rivets must be applied in double rows, with a maximum spacing of 30mm (1.2 inches). In our case, only 3 rivets were used, which apparently is too few and therefore not professionally executed.

Don’t worry. It will hold even without rivets. Just try it out. Buy a tube or cartridge of SikaFlex, bond something with it, and then try to separate it later. Have fun.