Use Midland Lead’s flexible lead joints to prevent metal fatigue

Midland Lead offers a range of ancillary products, developed to use lead to its best advantage, to assure the correct working method or to give the lead work an even better appearance. Below, we will give details on how and when to best use our flexible lead joints (multi-joints).

When to use

Metal fatigue can occur when too large a piece of lead is used in a gutter lining. As a result, the lead may crack and eventually leak. Normal practice is to build steps into the gutter at regular intervals to help prevent this. Yet, on some roofs there is no alternative than long lengths of lead. Midland Lead’s flexible lead joints can help overcome this problem. Incorporating joints at regular intervals provide a cost-effective solution and completely eliminates the need to fix oversized bays without the expense of building drips into the gutter. The table below shows the intervals at which joints should be fitted as recommended in the current code of practice. The length shown is the maximum size that should be laid. The width however can be increased, provided that the length is reduced and the area of the two sizes is not greater than that shown in the table.

How to apply

To fit a flexible lead joint, firstly cut the joint to the width of the gutter and overlay the lead gutter onto the flexible lead joint with a 25mm overlap. Subsequently, weld the two together using traditional lead burning techniques. Yet ensure that the torch flame does not come into contact with the rubber, or that excessive heat is transferred to the rubber joint.

Technical description

• Made of a combination of EPDM rubber and code 5 lead
• Supplied in 3000 x 400mm size
• Can be welded with any other code
• Guaranteed life expectancy of 20 years

For an overview of the entire range of ancillaries, go to: