High front guttering advisory committee report - NSW Fair Trading ...

1 Background
The following includes paraphrased points from the “Terms of Reference” contained in
Appendix A.
• High fronted guttering systems have been supplied and fitted on a widespread basis across
Australia for almost 20 years. The BCA provides a legislated basis for setting minimum
mandatory levels of guttering performance. The BCA provides different methods of
providing appropriate building solutions that comply with performance requirements.
Deemed to Satisfy options include the BCA’s own Acceptable Construction Practices and
Australian Standard AS3500. Both options state the need for guttering systems to
adequately manage overflow from gutters.
• In 2008, claims were made by a building practitioner that high fronted guttering design and
installation methods, in widespread use throughout NSW, did not meet BCA requirements.
Concerns were particularly raised about the adequacy of slots in high fronted guttering as
the single, appropriate overflow measure.
• NSW Fair Trading is of the view that slots in high fronted guttering are only one of a range of
measures advised in the BCA and in AS3500 for dealing appropriately with overflow.
Overflow systems must be designed and installed in compliance with meeting BCA
performance requirements.
• Nevertheless in response to the claims made in 2008, NSW Fair Trading convened a forum
with all major industry stakeholders, insurers, manufacturers and government agencies. The
forum concluded that there was no evidence at hand to suggest that high fronted guttering
was a systemic failure issue in NSW i.e. the forum did not uncover any evidence to suggest
that the installation of high fronted guttering was creating widespread overflow problems
leading to water ingress into residential buildings in either NSW or elsewhere in Australia.
• Notwithstanding, the forum did conclude that an amendment to the BCA was required to
remove its existing advice on “slotted guttering”. The forum was of the view that the existing
reference to slotted guttering in the BCA may mislead building practitioners into believing
that slotted gutters on their own would satisfy the BCA’s performance requirements. NSW
Fair Trading made a representation to the Australian Building Codes Board that this matter
be addressed.
• In addition to holding the forum, NSW Fair Trading and other NSW agencies implemented
the following measures:
o in conjunction with the Master Plumbers Association of NSW produced a circular to
remind roof plumbers about the codes and standards for installing gutters;
o placed installation guidelines with example diagrams from AS3500 on its website;
o wrote to over 150 councils across NSW reminding them of the need for council
certifiers to check guttering against the codes and standards and inviting them to
forward the details of any cases where it was believed that property damage has
occurred due to inadequate gutters;
o consulted with builders and tradespersons at trade seminars during 2008-2009;
o discussed the issue with regulators from other States and Territories; and
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