Rainwater Head Installation
Rainwater heads collect water from gutters and direct it into downpipes, acting as overflow relief. We install them neatly to improve drainage performance during intense Wellington storms, from a local team.
Wellington Rainwater Heads
Hopper Heads That Handle Wellington Downpours Rainwater Heads
Rainwater Heads in Wellington
A rainwater head, also called a conductor head or hopper head, is the open box fixed to a wall at the top of a downpipe, and rainwater heads in Wellington are common on commercial buildings, parapet townhouses and older villas. It collects water from a box gutter outlet, a parapet scupper or several spouting runs, slows it down and feeds it into the pipe below. On many of these buildings, it is the one fitting standing between a heavy downpour and water running back inside the wall.
Because the head sits where water changes direction, it takes the most punishment. Leaves pile up in the throat, joints open as the building moves in an earthquake or a southerly, and an undersized head overflows in exactly the wrong place. We replace failed heads, add heads where a box gutter has no safe overflow, and make new ones to suit the building, from plain Colorsteel boxes to profiles that match a heritage facade.
Rainwater Heads
Rainwater Head Services in Wellington
Decorative and Heritage Styles
For character homes and commercial buildings, we supply copper, aluminium and painted heads that complement traditional architecture while delivering reliable, practical rainwater control, using quality materials, proven methods and careful planning.
Repair and Replacement
Blocked, corroded or damaged heads cause overflow and leaks. We clean, repair or replace them promptly, keeping your gutter system working effectively through every heavy rainfall event, backed by experience.
Rainwater Heads
What a Rainwater Head Actually Does
A box gutter or internal gutter can only drain as fast as its outlet allows. When rain arrives faster than the downpipe can take it, the water has to go somewhere. A properly set out rainwater head gives it somewhere harmless to go: the head fills, and the overflow spills out of the front face where you can see it, rather than the water backing up the gutter, over the sole and into a ceiling or wall cavity.
That visible overflow is the point. NZ Building Code clause E2 (External Moisture) expects internal and box gutters to have an overflow path that discharges outside the building, and a rainwater head with a correctly placed overflow is one of the tidiest ways to provide it. If water pours from the front of your head often, the head is doing its job, but it is also telling you the outlet or downpipe below is blocked or too small.
Rainwater Heads
Problems We See on Wellington Rainwater Heads
Most of the heads we are asked to look at have failed in one of a handful of predictable ways. Each points to a different fix, so it pays to identify which one you have before anything is replaced.
Overflow streaks down the wall
Dark streaks or moss below the head mean it spills regularly. Usually the outlet spigot or downpipe is choked with leaves, but on some buildings the head was sized for a smaller roof than it now serves after an extension or a new deck roof.
Rusted base and spigot
Steel heads hold standing water and debris in the bottom, so they corrode from the inside out. Once the base is pinholed, water drips behind the downpipe and onto the cladding, often unnoticed until timber framing is affected.
Joints pulled apart
The join between the box gutter outlet and the head, and between the head and the downpipe, takes strain when buildings move. After a decent earthquake or years of wind load, sealed joints can open and leak straight into the wall.
No overflow at all
Some older heads were made as closed boxes, or the overflow was later sealed up to stop it dripping. Without one, a blocked downpipe sends water back into the box gutter, which is how many ceiling leaks under parapets begin.
Loose wall fixings
Heads fixed with corroded nails or into soft timber tilt forward, opening a gap at the gutter outlet. On exposed hillside sites in a strong northerly, a loose head can rattle for months and eventually tear free.
Leaking outlet through the wall
Where a box gutter outlet passes through a parapet or wall into the head, the penetration relies on a sleeve, flashing and sealant. Once the sealant cracks or the sleeve is cut short, water tracks along the outside of the outlet and into the framing.
Rainwater Heads
Sizing, Placement and Overflow Height
A head is sized from the roof area draining into it, the downpipe it feeds and how hard rain falls at that location. We work it out from the roof rather than copying the old head, because many buildings have had extensions or roof changes since the original was fitted. The outlet spigot must suit the downpipe, and the head needs enough volume that a sudden burst of rain doesn't spill immediately.
The overflow height matters as much as the size. It should sit below the lowest point where water could get into the building, typically below the box gutter sole, so the head spills before the gutter fills. On commercial roofs with long internal runs we check outlet capacity at the same time, because the box gutters themselves may need attention too.
Rainwater Heads
Heritage and Architectural Heads
Wellington has plenty of buildings where the rainwater head is part of the facade: decorative heads on older commercial buildings in the city, and simpler flared or ogee hoppers on villas. Where an original head is beyond saving, we can have a replacement folded in metal to follow its profile and finish it to suit the building.
Colorsteel heads
Folded from prepainted steel and colour-matched to the spouting and downpipes. The usual choice on modern homes and commercial buildings, and suitable for most Wellington sites when the right grade is chosen for the exposure.
Copper heads
Copper weathers from bright metal to brown and eventually green. It suits heritage work and architectural homes, but copper runoff attacks zinc-coated and aluminium fittings downstream, so the whole drainage line needs to be compatible.
Stainless steel heads
Stainless steel suits commercial buildings and exposed coastal sites where a head takes hard wear. Its fixings and the fittings below it are chosen so that no two metals in the drainage line react with each other.
Zinc and aluminium heads
Zinc gives a crisp grey finish that ages well beside zinc cladding. Aluminium is light and handles salt air well near the coast, though it must be kept away from copper and lead. Our gutter materials guide compares them.
Profiled replicas
Where a decorative head is cracked or missing, we measure what remains, or work from old photographs, and have a folded replica made so the facade reads as original while the drainage behind it works properly.
Restored original heads
Where an original head is sound apart from a rusted base or failed joints, it can sometimes be taken down, fitted with a new base or liner, repainted and refixed, keeping the original detail on the facade.
Rainwater Heads
Why Choose Our Rainwater Head Installers in Wellington
Rainwater heads do two jobs at once, collecting water from gutters and acting as overflow relief when storms overwhelm the system. Our installers fit them neatly and connect them correctly to downpipes, improving drainage performance during Wellington's intense downpours. For character homes and commercial buildings, we supply copper, aluminium and painted options that complement traditional architecture. We also clean, repair and replace blocked, corroded or damaged heads, restoring proper flow before overflow damages walls or fascia. Each installation is secure, watertight and carefully finished, so it works well and looks good. You get practical advice, quality products and tidy work from a team that cares. Contact our local team today.
- Neat installation connected correctly to downpipes
- Styles that suit heritage and modern buildings
- Copper, aluminium and painted options
- Blocked or damaged heads cleaned and repaired
- Practical advice and quality products
Rainwater Heads
Related Services
A rainwater head is one part of the path from roof to drain. These pages cover the parts on either side of it, and the materials they are made from.
Helpful answers
Rainwater Heads FAQs
Call our team if you need advice for your property or roofing project.
04 888 0115What is the difference between a rainwater head and a downpipe?
The downpipe is the vertical pipe that carries water to the ground. The rainwater head is the open box at the top of it that collects water from an outlet or several gutters, slows it down and provides an overflow. Not every downpipe needs one, but box gutters and parapet roofs almost always benefit from a head.
Is it normal for water to come out the front of my rainwater head?
Occasional spilling in a cloudburst is the overflow working as designed. Regular spilling in ordinary rain is not. It usually means the downpipe or the head outlet is blocked with leaves or silt, or the head is too small for the roof area. Clearing the outlet is the first step; if it still overflows, the head or downpipe needs resizing.
Can a rainwater head be added to an existing box gutter?
Usually, yes. The box gutter outlet is extended through the wall or parapet into a new head, and the downpipe is reconnected below it. We check the outlet position, the overflow height relative to the gutter sole and the wall cladding before committing, and we'll give you a written quote that includes the flashings involved.
Do rainwater heads need cleaning?
Yes. Heads catch leaves, moss and grit washed off the roof, and anything that settles in the base slows the outlet. Under trees, check them each autumn and after big storms. A mesh over the outlet helps, provided it doesn't block the overflow path. Regular gutter cleaning can include the heads.
Can you match a heritage rainwater head?
In many cases. We measure the existing head or work from photographs of the original, and have a replica folded in Colorsteel, copper or zinc. Highly ornate cast heads can't always be reproduced exactly in sheet metal, so we'll talk you through how close the result will be before any work starts.
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