Tips to Help You Keep Your Gutters Clean and Flowing Properly
Home ownership comes with a lot of responsibilities. And maintaining the integrity of your home is one of them. This can be a challenge, especially when key parts of your home aren’t working as well as they should be.
One of the most important areas of your home is also one of the most overlooked – and that’s your gutters. When your gutters are working properly you will hardly even notice them. But when they aren’t working properly it can cause all sorts of dramas.
Your home’s gutters require regular maintenance, from servicing and cleaning them to fixing leaks and replacing fastenings. This regular maintenance will ensure that your gutters last a long time and are always flowing properly.
To help you keep your gutters working the best they can be, we’ve put together a list of possible reasons that might get in the way of your perfectly flowing gutters. Keep reading to learn more about your gutter maintenance.
Why your gutters might not be working as efficiently as they could be
Your gutters are clogged
The number one reason why your gutters are might not be working properly is because they are clogged. And the number one reason your gutters might be clogged is because there may be leaves and other fallen debris stuck.
This can be easily remedied, thankfully, but we have a few reminders before you grab a ladder and start cleaning it yourself:
- Doing it is very risky and there is a high chance that you might get hurt. It is best to call a professional to do it. However, if there is a strong need to clean your gutters, have someone assist you by holding on to the ladder.
- Wear protective clothing such as gloves and long sleeves. Wear a hat too! Don’t forget to use sunscreen.
- Your ladder should be sturdy enough to hold you.
- Using a small plastic scoop, start removing debris. There are gutter scoops available at the hardware store if you need one. A child’s scoop for sand play is also a good tool to use. You don’t want to use a gardening shovel because this might damage your gutters.
- Have a tarp below ready to catch gutter debris. This is to make clean up easier and to protect your lawn and surroundings.
- Once you’ve gotten most of the gunk out, grab a hose and flush the gutter and downspout. This will wash out any debris that was left and you can see if you leaks.
- Doing this once or twice a year will be a great maintenance technique.
- We may have mentioned it before, but we highly recommend hiring a professional for this job.
You don’t have enough downpipes
If your gutters are not able to flow fast enough or overflow during heavy rains, there is a possibility that you don’t have enough downpipes. The number of downpipes a home needs is dependent on a few things, like the size of the house and also the weather conditions of the area being some of them. This problem is more common than you might think and is also remedied pretty easily. Through the installation of additional downpipes, your gutters will be flowing efficiently.
Your canals aren’t big enough to handle rainfall
Another common issue is the size of the actual gutter canals – are they big enough to withstand torrential rains and heavy storms?
If you live in an area that is known for its extreme weather conditions, you may want to have your gutters upgraded to a larger canal size. While this may sound like an expensive solution, think of it as a preventative measure and as a form of investment. Would you want to worry about your home’s foundation and structure being compromised or would you rather spend a bit of extra money now?
Call in the professionals to maintain your gutters
Know when to call professionals. You don’t have to clean or do repairs on your own. Aside from it being hazardous, you may be doing more harm than good.
Contact us for a quick assessment. With over 25 years of experience in home repairs and improvement, Gutterlines Sydney guarantees great service. We only use high-quality products and our friendly staff are highly skilled and knowledgeable in gutter cleaning and repair.
