How to fit guttering on a greenhouse

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How to fit guttering on a greenhouse

BBC Gardeners' World Magazine

Published: Thursday, 11 July 2019 at 9:43 am

Find out how to fit guttering to a greenhouse, perfect for saving rainwater, in a few simple steps.

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Fitting guttering and installing water butts to your greenhouse to catch the rain is a great way to store this precious natural resource. Keeping crops going through the summer requires plenty of water, so it pays to have a good supply close by.

Discover more essential kit for your greenhouse, and our test of the best electric screwdrivers, to make the job easier.

Greenhouse manufacturers often sell tailor-made gutter kits for their own products, and many greenhouses come with guttering supplied. If you are fitting out an existing greenhouse and know the name of the manufacturer, contact them first to see if they can supply a kit before heading for the DIY store.

Guttering is fairly cheap to buy from any DIY store and you can cut it to length with a saw. You'll find a variety of brackets and connectors available too, so take the measurements of your greenhouse with you when you go to buy your guttering to ensure you get the right pieces.

Screw the brackets into the frame of the greenhouse to hold the gutter in place, with an end stop at one end and a downpipe on the other feeding water into the butt.

If you have a metal-framed greenhouse, you can still affix guttering. Instead of screwing directly into the wood, most will have pre-drilled holes allowing guttering to be attached, or you can drill your own on. If it already has in-built guttering, you just need to attach a downpipe to channel the water into a water butt.

You Will Need

Lengths of guttering
Downpipe
Guttering brackets
Joining brackets
End stop
Saw
Screws
Screwdriver
Chicken wire

Total time: 2 hours

Step 1

Measuring guttering against the greenhouse

Check your measurements and cut lengths of gutter to fit neatly along each side of your greenhouse.

Step 2

Attaching guttering brackets

Attach brackets at regular intervals along the frame, positioning each one slightly lower towards the downpipe to make the water flow.

Step 3

Guttering fitted to brackets

Carefully slot the guttering into the brackets. For a snug fit, join lengths of guttering together using linking brackets with watertight rubber seals.

Step 4

Pouring water on the roof to check the guttering at the moment

Pour water into the gutter to test that it runs smoothly towards the downpipe and there are no leaks.

Step 5

Fitting the downpipe to the guttering

Fit the downpipe into the butt and put a wad of chicken wire into the top to stop leaves falling in.

Watering seedlings

Don't use rainwater to water your seedlings - it may cause damping off disease. It's better to use tap water.

Seedlings. Photo: Getty Images.

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