Gutter maintenance and repair issues are usually low cost and are actually more critical than one might imagine.
There’s a lot going on each day in our lives and time seems to pass very quickly. Although we often think about important maintenance matters most times some important aspects keep get pushed aside. Your home’s gutters play a crucial role in the overall condition of your roof and house. Poorly functioning gutters can affect your home’s foundation and internal structure leading to water damage to many areas of your home, so ensuring they’re in good condition is undeniably important.
On the most basic level, blocked gutters lead to rain cascading over the sides of the gutters and a waterfall of rainwater will be on display at your eaves, It gets worse. When this happens water will back up and overflow into your roof damaging the internal structural roof beams, electric cabling, insulation and ceilings which could collapse and cause injury. Heavy gutters, swollen with waterlogged debris, become so heavy that they can fall down and in fact the weight becomes so great that it will tear the roof fascia with it and snap the eaves in the process and in a worse case scenario can hurt someone you care about.
To keep your gutters running effectively, learn tips on how to clean them and repair common problems.
Cleaning your Gutters & Downpipes
Cleaning your gutters is number one on the gutter maintenance list as overflowing is the biggest cause of water leaking into the home. Having your gutters cleaned by a professional is the best choice as working with ladders and heights are dangerous and your safety should always come first. The cost to clean your gutters is low and takes only 1 to 4 hours to complete by a skilled gutter tradesman.
Removing twigs. leaves and debris from your gutters will allow rain water to flow fast and steady to your downpipes where the water can then be directed to the ground. Your downpipes must be checked when your gutters are cleaned to make sure they are not blocked.
If you decide you are experienced at heights and are going to proceed with cleaning your gutters regardless then here is some tips to help
Safety First
Do not clean your guttering from the roof as standing on the roof pitch is very unstable
- Use a ladder – A extension ladder that can extend at least three feet above the height of the roof gutters .
- Keep one hand on the ladder at all times
- If the base of your ladder is in soft soil remember that when you’re standing on the ladder the weight can push the ladder into the soil so you must have enough ladder extension above the height of the gutters to allow for this.
- Making Sure the ladder is on stable ground
- Making sure the ladder is completely vertical
- When climbing the ladder always keep your body inside between the two edge rails of the ladder don’t lean over to much as the ladder will become top heavy and could tip.
- Make sure the base of the ladder is out enough to create a comfortable climbing angle so you wont fall backwards off the ladder but not to far so the ladder slips out as your climbing.
- Using a ladder stabilizer will allow the ladder to rest on the stable house walls instead of the gutters themselves which are held in place by gutter clips and require a professional to know the correct clips location to position the ladder.
- Heavy Rubber Gloves: You will need strong gloves that allow your fingers to move and function freely. You need to pick up leaves and debris as well as hold on so buy some gloves that fit snug around your fingers. Keep in mind that your gloves must be thick the colorbond edges of the roof sheeting or some guttering joins may have some sharp edges and you want to make sure your hands are protected
- Gutter Scoop: You will need a scoop that can fit into your hand to assist in removing the larger leaves and debris faster. You could tie the gutter trowel on a short piece of string to the top of your ladder so its always there for you and allows your hands to be more free of holding it when climbing up or down the ladder.
- Hose: A garden hose long enough to reach to the gutters when attached to an outside faucet is required if you choose to wash or rinse your guttering. Again attach the hose to the ladder leaving about 1.5 meters free above the height of the ladder this allows you to position yourself safety up the ladder then grab the garden hose and twist the end to turn it on or off. Remember if you get water spray onto the ladder steps it will become slippery so make sure you have good slip resistent shoes on.
- Garbage Bags or Bucket: You can just drop all the gutter leaves and debris straight to the ground when cleaning your gutters and then clean the garden area after you have completed the gutter clean. Or you can put it straight into garbage bags if you are experienced and safely skilled enough to do so.
Steps to Perfectly Clean Gutters
- Connect your gutter trowel to the top of the ladder securely and safely
- Position the ladder so that it is stable and angled correctly.
- Put on your gloves
- Gutter debris is usually found in two layers: a top, lighter layer of leaves, twigs, and pine cones, and a heavy bottom layer of thick soily dirt and particles depending on how long since last clean.
- Use your hands and trowel to remove the top layer, dropping the debris to the ground or by placing it in the garbage bag bucket. Once the top layer is removed scrape out the bottom sediment.
- Repeat this around the perimeter of the house cleaning all the roof gutters
Steps to Perfectly Rinsing Gutters
- Make sure your hose has a twist on/off nozzle connected to the spray end.
- Connect your hose to the top of the ladder securely and safely leaving approx. 1.5m of hose above the height of ladder.
- Turn on the hose at the faucet.
- Climb the ladder and position yourself safely. ( See
- Grab the hose and gently twist the nozzle to turn on you don’t need a great deal of pressure only enough to hold the tip of the hose in the base of the gutter to rinse the left over gutter debris.
- Once finished rinsing your gutters ensure that downpipes are clear of any debris that may have become lodged. If there is blockage, unclog by removing the nozzle and running the hose up the downpipe. At the same time, gently tap the side of the downpipe to dislodge the debris.
Spring
Visually check your gutters and downpipes for any signs of wear and tear like loose downpipe straps or saging guttering.
Summer
Replace or Repair your Gutters & Downpipes or Fascia . This is a less busy time for roofing contractors so you will save money and have the work completed faster.
Autumn
Trim back your tress, clean your gutters clear downpipes and install leaf guard if required. Visually inspect the condition of your roof tile ridge capping for any signs of cracking or missing mortar holes.
Winter
When the rain starts walk around your house each week and inspect the gutter joins for any signs of water leakage. Check your eaves for signs of water staining. If there is any leaks or overflowing call a professional to immediately determine whats causing the problem and have it repaired.
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