Your guttering serves a very important purpose. Without it, rain water would cause damage to your home. The gutters serve as a means of transportation for the excess water, ensuring that it drains away without finding its way into the walls of your house.
How Often Should Your Guttering Be Cleaned?
At an absolute minimum, you’ll want to clean your gutters twice per year. However, you should be checking them periodically to ensure that they aren’t clogged up. This is particularly important in the Autumn, when leaves fall and often collect in the guttering. It’s better to give them a thorough clean towards the end of the season, as doing it at the start means it will only need doing again in a few weeks.
If your property has a lot of trees hanging over it, you may need to clean the guttering a lot more often as more leaves and debris collects in a shorter space of time. Keep checking them until the trees are bare, as that will indicate that you’ve cleared away the majority of fallen material from your gutter.
What Are The Signs That Guttering Needs Cleaning?
If you notice that the gutters have water pouring over the sides during rainfall, that probably means they’re clogged with debris. The same applies if they appear to be sagging, as the additional weight will be putting excess pressure on the system. Sagging is something that urgently requires attention, as the weight could result in the guttering coming away from the fascia.
You may notice that birds are spending a lot of time around your guttering. If this is the case, they could have built a nest there. This will need to be cleared away, as the nest is sure to clog and weight down your gutters.
How To Clean Your Guttering
To clean your gutters safely, you need to be confident using a ladder. If your property is particularly high, leave this job to the professionals. Working at height can be very dangerous with serious consequences. Cleaning the gutters isn’t particularly easy or pleasant. The debris tends to smell, as it’s usually damp and decomposing materials.
If you’ve decided to give it a go yourself, make sure you’re using a ladder that’s stable. Ideally, you’ll have someone else to support you from the ground. You’ll need a bucket or bin bag to put the waste you’ve collected in. Throwing it on the floor isn’t a great idea as it creates more mess and can spread nasty smells around.
You’ll want a decent pair of waterproof gloves on, because the best way to remove the debris is to use your hands. Make sure you’re easily able to reach into the gutter to remove the waste, as stretching or over reaching could result in a fall. Once you’ve got rid of the bulk of it, use a hose or bucket of water to rise the smaller particles away.
For Gutter Maintenance, Call JB. Roofing
If you notice damage upon cleaning your gutters, you’ll need to seek repairs as soon as possible. JB. Roofing can carry out maintenance and guttering replacements, to ensure that your roofline protects your property as it should.