What a Ballarat roof plumber has to plan for
Downpours the gutters weren't sized for
The 95.0 mm that fell in the 24 hours to 9 am on 14 January 2011 came during the January 2011 floods. Under the NCC, each downpipe may serve no more than 12 m of gutter and should sit as close as possible to valley gutters. If an older house has fewer downpipes than that, water can back up under the roof edge in a downpour.
Snow, frost and ice
Snow fell in the city in 2007, 2014, 2018 and 2020, and temperatures can sit below freezing from May to September. Gutters packed with wet leaves hold ice and extra weight, which strains brackets. The NCC wants brackets at no more than 1.2 m centres, and clear gutters plus properly spaced brackets are the defence.
Bushfire-prone suburbs
Much of Ballarat is a Designated Bushfire Prone Area under section 192A of the Building Act 1993, with parts also under a Bushfire Management Overlay and Bush Residential pockets in places like Black Hill, Brown Hill and Buninyong. COLORBOND roofing, gutters and downpipes can be part of a compliant system right up to BAL-FZ under AS 3959:2018, and NSW's Rural Fire Service advises non-combustible gutter and valley leaf guards.
Heritage streets
Heritage Overlay controls in Ballarat East, South and North limit external works on some houses, and Learmonth is a key heritage precinct. In a Heritage Overlay, repairs and maintenance that change a building's appearance or don't match its details and materials need a planning permit. Lysaght describes its scalloped OGEE gutter as suited to heritage homes, so ask whether it, or a half-round, keeps the look.
Small details that matter on Ballarat roofs
If your roof is COLORBOND or ZINCALUME and the gutters are galvanised, BlueScope warns the gutters can corrode prematurely and recommends steel gutters made for those roofs. BlueScope also says stainless steel, lead and copper must not be used with them.
Overflow matters as much as size. The NCC lists acceptable overflow measures, such as slotted gutter fronts or a gap behind the gutter, so that when a downpour beats the downpipes the water spills outside, not into the eaves. Ask what overflow your roof plumber is allowing for.
Questions for a Ballarat roof plumber
- How much gutter does each downpipe serve now, and should I add one?
- What overflow measure are you allowing for in a heavy downpour?
- Are my brackets spaced closely enough for snow and wet leaves?
- Is my house in a Bushfire Prone Area or a Bushfire Management Overlay, and what does that change?
- If there's a heritage overlay, which gutter profile will keep the council happy?
- What's your plumbing licence number?
What we'd do
If water comes inside only in heavy rain, we'd count the downpipes before replacing anything else, because one more outlet often fixes it. If gutters are being replaced anyway in a bushfire-prone suburb, we'd specify non-combustible guards at the same time. On a heritage house, we'd check with the City of Ballarat before choosing a profile. There's more on the trade at roof plumbing.
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