Which Drain Is Better: Plastic or Metal?

The drain solves the important task of removing rain and meltwater from the roof. If you build it in a hurry, without taking into account the features of the roof, or completely abandon the drain gutters and pipes, then the water will flow down from the slopes randomly, heating the foundation and moistening the walls. Therefore, when starting roofing work, you should take care of a competent choice of a drain, which can be metal or plastic.

The material of manufacture is the main difference on the basis of which you can make your choice. So, which drain is better: plastic or steel gutters? It is necessary to compare these two types of drains, having understood their characteristics and functional features.

Advantages and disadvantages of plastic gutters

PVC gutters have gained popularity due to the mass production of inexpensive, but high-quality polymers.

The service life of this class of materials is 10-15 years for small and medium sized homes (some manufacturers give a guarantee of up to 25 years).

Strengths:

• Light-weight;
• Absolute anticorrosive properties;
• Resistance to aggressive environments.

The main disadvantages are low load resistance, change in linear dimensions due to temperature.

Metal gutters are a long-lasting classic

Despite the fact that plastic is gaining new frontiers in the construction market, metal still remains a consistently popular material for the manufacture of drainage systems. Some builders even consider metal to be the only possible option that guarantees long-term uninterrupted drainage of rain and melting water. And in some ways, they are certainly right. At least in the fact that the durability of most types of steel guttering is still higher than plastic, and several times.

If you want to invest in the long term, it is better to buy metal gutters. If you don’t care about it, then plastic ones will do.