Our Tips for Gutter Maintenance (Part 2)
This is the second part in our series of gutter maintenance tips for the DIY enthusiast.
The proper care and maintenance of the gutters on your property is extremely important when it comes to safeguarding the structural integrity of your home. Effective, efficient gutter maintenance and roof drainage prolongs the life of your roof and protects your entire property, channelling water away from your home (particularly its foundations). It can even help prevent things like rainwater backing up and overflowing into your ceilings; corrosion and rust in gutters and downpipes, caused by trapped wet leaves and debris; and even contamination of any surrounding stormwater systems.
Luckily, basic gutter maintenance can be relatively easy to undertake for the proficient DIY enthusiast - just follow the quick and easy steps outlined below.
Keep in mind though, if your gutters are beyond repair, you will need to call in the professionals - as per building regulations. Borders Gutter Maintenance will be happy to advise you if that is the case.
BASIC GUTTER MAINTENANCE
Here at Borders Gutter Maintenance, we recommend inspecting and cleaning out all your gutters and downpipes around about every six months. The best times to do so are at the end of Autumn (once all the trees have shed their leaves) and then again at the end of Spring. If trees (that regularly drop leaves and clog your gutters) surround your house, you may need to clean your gutters more regularly.
Cleaning your gutters is one of the most important projects on the to-do list yet it’s too often overlooked. Unfortunately, many of us wait until Winter when the very last leaves falls before we decide to get it done. This delay exposes our homes to potential damage. Plus, it makes the job a lot more difficult to do.
If you do it a couple of times a year, in Autumn and Spring, cleaning gutters is relatively easy. Just once, or not at all, and it can become back breaking work and cost you thousands of pounds worth of trouble down the road.
The problem with clogged gutters is more than just those annoying waterfalls that pour off the roof on rainy days, or the pretty icicles that hang around in the winter. This excess water wreaks havoc on the integrity of your home’s structure. The guttering system of a house is designed to move water down from the roof and away from the home and it’s foundation for proper drainage. Water that gets dammed up in the gutters finds the path of least resistance when it tries to drain and this often means it works right into the walls and ceilings of your house.
The first and most obvious issue with gutters filled to the brim with leaves, twigs, and other debris is simply a weight problem. When that debris gets wet it absorbs the rain water like a sponge and becomes extremely heavy. This burden puts stress on the gutters and their hanging brackets, and can pull the gutters off the house. Falling gutters are costly enough to replace on their own, not to mention any lights or windows they smash as they come crashing down.
Overflowing water from the gutters can also damage the paint and siding on a home, but unsightly water marks down the side of the house pale in comparison with what happens if the water gets inside of a wall. Wet brick or wood rots and loses its integrity, and this can go unseen behind the siding until it is too late.
Ice-damming is another major issue with clogged gutters. Blocked water can freeze when it backs up in the gutters, pushing up against the roof structure and working its way under the shingles destroying the wood, causing even more leaks.
Even flooded cellars and cracking foundations are other symptoms of clogged gutters. If water isn’t drained away from the house and it pools around the foundation it will expand when frozen and cause cracks which lead to potential floods in your cellar (if you have one).
So what will you need to get the job done? You only need a few things and they depend on the method you choose. Many different tricks and techniques have been developed by home improvement magazines, experts, and handymen alike but the main concept is simple, just get on the ladder and pull the junk out of the gutters.
You’ll need: a ladder, gloves, a container to gather the debris such as a bag or bucket, a garden trowel (or small hand rake or a child's sand spade), and the hose.
Begin by setting the ladder an arms length away from a corner downpipe, and tuck a few garbage bags in your back pocket so you can easily pull them out. Some people prefer to use a bucket and bucket hanger for the ladder, but it is much easier to use those little plastic shopping bags. A full bucket or big garbage bag can get pretty heavy and make the job tougher than a high wire act.
Hold your garden trowel or rake in your hand and begin your ascent. You never want to put sharp objects in your pocket when you are climbing a ladder, as they can harpoon you if you fall. Use the tool to pull the debris away from the op of the downpipe, being careful not to let any junk fall into the opening, which can create a clog. Take one handful at a time and fill up the bags, tying and dropping them to the ground as you go. Drop the bags away from the bottom of the ladder so they don’t get in your way when you need to dismount.
Move the ladder and repeat. Never reach further than an arms length away from the ladder and be sure to get the dirt on the bottom of the gutter. A majority of it is from the asphalt shingles that run off into the gutter. This stuff gets very heavy when wet so don’t leave it in there.
If you are afraid of heights or worry about dealing with the bags in such a precarious situation, simply grab handfuls from the gutters and drop it onto a clear spot on the ground. This is a very messy method, but you can rake up the debris later, safely and easily.
Once you clean an entire length, grab the hose and spray down the gutter and into the downpipes to get all the small pieces you missed. If there are clogs that the hose can’t clear, you can use a plumbers snake to clear them out. This is also a good point to see if your gutters leak at any corners or joining pieces. If they do, and the leak is small, you can purchase a silicone sealant and very easily make the fix. Remember that water finds the path of least resistance, and that path is usually into the walls of your house, so a leaky gutter can be just as bad as a clogged one.
If you are ambitious, you can scrub down the outside of the gutters or touch up any spots with paint to keep your house looking its best.
Still hesitant on doing this yourself? Consider using gutter maintenance professionals, like Borders Gutter Maintenance. Try to steer away from the "local handyman", but always get three estimates and don’t always go for the cheapest one. The guy with the 1980’s van and rock-bottom prices could possibly do a great job, but may not have any liability insurance. Whoever you choose, be sure they are insured.
One way or another, pushing this chore to the bottom of the to-do list could end up being a very costly mistake. If you get up there regularly it can be a breeze and you’ll prevent the Aswan Dam from forming in your gutters.
Above all, make sure that you adopt safe work practices, particularly when using a ladder or following these tips as we can take no responsibility for accidents occuring as a result of this blog. If in doubt, call a professional like Borders Gutter Maintenance on 07802 698967.
