How to keep gutter in good condition
Poorly maintained or defective guttering can cause issues with water ingress, dampness, and mold. Guttering is a basic design but very effective in keeping water away from your property.
It guards against weakening brickwork, damage to wooden barge boards or soffits. With a blockage in the downpipe or gutter, your house is exposed to water damage from the spillage.
With this in mind, we have some useful tips on how to keep the gutter in good condition. The solutions are cost-effective and you don’t need to engage a professional company?
Clean it at least twice a year
Autumn and falling leaves are the main culprits of blocked gutters. With the constant accumulation of leaves in the gutter, there’s every chance they will block in the downpipe. Therefore it’s important to keep gutters clean before an excess of leaves enters the downpipe.
To clean your gutter, here are the simple steps you need to follow:
Safety is of paramount importance when working at roof level. Ladders should always be footed (by another) and the risk carefully assessed. Safety First, always!
Can you complete the clean with:
- Steps
- Double ladder
- Three-tier ladder
- Choose the correct one depending on the height, don’t compromise and over reach!
- Extend the ladder fully to reach the gutter.
- Bucket – attached to a rung of the ladder with a hook/bent wire coat hanger.
- Scoop out the leaves and drop them into the bucket.
- Wipe away any residues that could prevent the smooth flow of water.
- Rope off the bucket handle, remove the hook/wire coat hanger and slowly lower the full bucket to the ground.
- You will have to reposition the ladder as you move along the length of the gutter.
Install gutter guards
Another good way to keep your gutter from blocking is to invest in gutter guards. These are available at many building suppliers and hardware stores. They act as covers and shield the gutter and downpipe from falling leaves.
There are a variety of guards from mesh to brushes.
Check for leaks
Often a section of the gutter (where it clips to the next) becomes loose and water leaks out. The plastic guttering is exposed to all weathers and will expand in the summer and contract in the winter. Any variation in temperatures means the guttering is constantly flexing. This constant flexing can dislodge one section of guttering from another and cause a leak, which should be fixed as quickly as possible.
Cut back overhanging branches
Branches can get behind guttering as the tree grows, eventually dislodging it from its fixings.
To ensure nothing like that happens, It’s important to cut back the offending branches to a safe distance from your property.
You may be brave and skilled enough to do the job yourself but others prefer to engage the services of a professional company to complete the works. Working above ground level is not for everyone. Some are not scared of heights, it’s the falling that concerns them!
FAQs
Q)How often should gutters and gutter guards be cleared?
- A)It depends on your location. In the middle of a wooded area you may have to clean them more than a couple of times a year, compared to a property in a concrete jungle.
If you’re somewhere between the two, then at least once a year will minimise the risk of blockages, ultimately saving you from costly repairs in the future?Q)When should you clean them?
- A)The end of autumn or the beginning of spring.
Q)Do gutter guards cause Ice dams?
- A)It’s rare. However, ice dams can happen if the water is allowed to stand, caused by an incorrect gutter slope. A loose-fitting joint in the guttering can also harbor water which will freeze if it’s cold enough. As the ice expands it can pop out from the other section of the gutter.Stopping ice dams: Try and keep the roof section at the same temperature as the eaves.In case if you need a gutter repair service contact us now.
