Gutters are designed to keep rainwater away from your home and into an underground drain. However, there are scenarios where a gutter can get clogged due to debris and other external factors. Additionally, they are often neglected in the home maintenance planning, which could mess up the proper channeling of rainwater even more.
To help you out and prevent this from happening in your home, we came up with some ideas and tips to keep those gutters in working condition. Keep reading below to learn more!
Create a gutter cleaning plan
Depending on the time of year, your gutter can easily become clogged over a matter of months or even days, therefore its necessary to come up with a rough cleaning timetable to deal with gutter cleaning and clearing throughout the year.
If your gutter is surrounded by overhanging trees and is prone to blocking, we suggest a monthly gutter check to ensure that nothing has become lodged or trapped in your drainage system.
Autumn is a season where you’ll need to be particularly diligent as you’ll not only have to deal with falling leaves but also airborne debris from nearby trees. We also advise checking after storms or particularly blustery conditions.
Our final tip is to keep an eye on your gutters between March and August as this is the prime nesting window for birds. Sometimes twigs, sticks and similar nesting materials can be carried and dropped on your roof and in your gutter, leading to chance blockages in Spring and Summer. Source: Roof Giant
Trim your trees
Keep your trees pruned away from your gutters. If you have any branches hovering above the system, it will clog it up by dropping leaves and flora.
Even if you prune the trees, the wind can still carry debris into the gutters. Regular tree maintenance will at least stop quite as many leaves from gathering, though.
Prevent airborne debris
If you have anything in your yard that isn’t tied down, there’s a chance that the wind can pick it up and transport it into your gutters as long as it’s lightweight enough. Birds also have a habit of carrying stuff around and dropping it into your gutters.
Keep your yard as clean as possible. If you have outdoor garbage cans, never fill them so high that you can’t close the lid. Otherwise, the trash will find its way into your gutter system. Source: My Window Washing
Fix gutter problems immediately
The primary cause of clogged gutters is that they are often ignored until leaks or holes associated with them become a major problem. Gutter problems must be corrected as soon as you have spotted them. Patch holes even if they are tiny. If the hole is quite big, then it might require replacing. Install additional gutter support like spikes or ferrules if needed.
No matter how leak-proof the roof is or how debris-proofed the gutters are, you still need to climb up there and do regular inspections, most especially in the spring and autumn. While you may have the best gutter protection installed up there, home experts still recommend inspecting the gutters and clearing out all leaves and debris. Source: Jims Mowing
It’s time to put this information into action to spare yourself the headache that comes with gutter problems. If ever you need a professional to execute any of these, just give us a call!
Contact:
Kerrisdale Roofing & Drains
168 W 71st Ave, Vancouver, BC V5X 4S7
(604) 360-2114
