Gutter Maintenance

Your gutters are very important in keeping your home safe from rain water and moisture. But, in order for gutters to do their job, you will need to make sure that they are not clogged or leaking. If this happens it can cause considerable damage to the walls and foundations of your home including cracking foundations and bulging walls. This is why it is important that you make sure that you perform proper gutter maintenance.

Cleaning your gutters is one of the first lines of defence in keeping your gutters in proper working order. When cleaning your gutters do not use a water hose to remove debris. Instead use a small garden shovel to scoop out any debris that may be stuck inside the gutter. Leaves, sticks, seeds, berries and more may have gotten caught inside the gutter so make sure that you check the gutter and remove as much debris as possible. Once the larger debris has been removed, you can use a garden hose to wash the rest of it out. After flushing the gutters with the water hose, check for any pools of water. These pools indicate that there are low spots. Proper gutter maintenance requires that gutters are sloped one inch each for every fifteen horizontal inches that they cover. This will ensure proper drainage of water and debris. Once all of these steps have been performed your gutters should be in perfect draining condition.

Make sure that you fix any problems that your gutters may have. Install new hangars so that your gutters remain intact and in the correct place. If straps and spikes have come loose or need to be replaced, replace them with hangars instead as the process of replacing straps and spikes is a long and hard process that requires removing roofing materials. Gutter screws are very strong and can be used to replace spikes. Use a silicone sealant to repair any holes or cracks within your gutters. If gutters need to be replaced, it is best to replace them with steel gutters. These perform longer and are more study in the long run. They can last for as long as forty years in all types of weather conditions. Aluminium and vinyl work well but require more maintenance than steel gutters do.

Gutter maintenance is very important. It is a simple process that can be done by nearly anyone and it will not take you a full day to perform it. Gutters do require regular maintenance if you want them to do their jobs. Leaky gutters can do considerable damage by creating pools next to your home's foundations. If you see pools then you know that your gutters need to be fixed as soon as possible. If you follow the simple procedures listed above, you can ensure that your house is being protected properly from elements such as rain, sleet and snow. This can be a messy process so make sure that you dress for the job. You will also need to use a ladder for this process so make sure that you are safety conscious during the gutter maintenance process.