The gutters and downpipes on your roof serve an important purpose and need to be cleaned regularly to ensure they do their job efficiently.
When it rains, water runs off your roof into the gutters and flows to the downpipes to be carried away from the house. Water pooling on your roof or in the gutters can cause rusting and leaking, and attract mosquitos.
Cleaning Your Gutters
Over time, your gutters will get clogged up with leaves and other debris, and the water from your roof won’t be able to flow into the downpipes. The gutters can overflow and result in water damage, blocked downpipes, and a dry leaf litter that creates a fire hazard.
Regular cleaning is a simple job, but it’s a job most people hate. The worst part is climbing up the ladder and removing the debris by hand. It’s best to clean your gutters a couple of times a year, but if you have a lot of deciduous trees nearby, you might have to clean more often in autumn.
Trimming back trees and bushes that are too close can prevent your gutters from becoming too clogged with leaves, and therefore clogging your downpipes. Be sure to place your ladder on sturdy ground, and have someone with you for safety reasons. Wear thick gloves and have something to put the gutter debris into, so you’re not just throwing it on the ground.
If your downpipes become blocked, or you have angled pipes, use a rod or piece of wire to push the blockage through if you can’t reach it from your end.
Never over-reach while you’re on the ladder. Moving the ladder every few minutes seems like extra work, but it’s the safest option.
Gutter Cleaning Gadgets
There are some tools on the market that can clean your gutters without you having to climb a ladder. Most of them consist of an extendable rod that either sprays water or air at high pressure. You’ll still have the mess of leaves and debris to clean up, and since you can’t see the state of the gutter from the ground, you won’t know whether they’re truly cleared or not. Hand cleaning using a ladder is still the best way, unless you call in a professional to clean your gutters.
Prevention is Better Than Cleaning
The best way to avoid having to clean your gutters and downpipes is to install gutter guards. These are made of plastic or wire mesh and fit over your gutters, so nothing can blow in and clog them. They’re extremely cost-effective, and they’ll quickly pay for themselves by preventing damage to your gutters and home, saving you a lot of work.
Contact Air Roofing
If you require help or advice on keeping your gutters and downpipes clean, or you need professional repairs, or gutter guards installed, call the experts at Air Roofing on 08 6166 0545, or contact us online and we’ll be in touch.
