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Essential Gutter Maintenance Tips
by Paul Graham
It is important to periodically monitor the overall condition of a home.
Wear and tear as a result of weather and age occurs in every home, and
it is wise to take care of problems before they lead to extensive and
costly repairs. Routine maintenance should be done to ensure that
everything is well in all parts of the home. This should especially be
the case as far as the exterior of the home is concerned because it is
the exterior of the home that is most subjected to wear and tear.
1. Maintain Your Gutter
One of the best tips that can be given for the proper maintenance of the
exterior of the home is by maintaining the gutter. The gutter is the
trough fixed under or along the eaves for draining rainwater from a
roof. Gutters in general are also are called eaves spouts, eaves trough,
rainspouts and spouting. Because they are located at the exterior of the
home their proper maintenance has a direct impact upon the overall
appearance of the home. Maintaining gutters is an easy task. One only
has to think about the serviceability they are able to offer once they
are rid of everything that they need to be rid of. Clogged gutters can
cause landscaping, lawn and shrubbery, walls, foundation, basement,
crawl spaces and existing gutter system great damage. This is the reason
why these channels should be kept clean at all times.
2. Gutter Maintenance Tips
In maintaining gutters, it is important for one to make sure that he has
all the materials needed before starting work. It is not advisable for
him to stop in the middle of a task to hunt for a tool. The first step
is to clean the gutters with a narrow stiff-bristled brush. A wallpaper
brush can be used to sweep out debris when the gutters are dry. It is
also not advisable to clean the gutters by flushing them with a garden
hose. This might cause the downspout to clog. Gutters should be cleaned
when they are dry, and the hose should be used to flush out any
remaining debris.
Clean any leaves, twigs or other debris off the roof
Walking on the roof and using an old broom or a leaf blower, pitch all
debris down into the yard
Once the roof is clean of debris, start on the gutters themselves
Using a narrow trowel or putty knife, gently lift any debris in the
gutters out and pitch it down to the yard
For safety purposes, it is a must to check all the supports when the
gutters themselves are clean enough
Hose the gutters down
Use the hose to test the gutters ability to rapidly redirect water
3. Gutter Tips
It is not advisable to lean ladders against the gutter. Installing a
plastic support piece to the gutter to support the weight of the ladder
is what should be done. The support piece in question provides a
permanent access point to the roof and is fastened to the wood
underneath the roof using galvanized deck screws. It can also be mounted
directly to the gutter. Purchasing a ladder stabilizer for added ladder
safety is also a must as the ladder stabilizer locks onto the rungs of
the extension ladder, preventing the ladder from shifting side to side.
4. Prevention Is Better Than Cure - Gutter Guards
Those who want nice-looking, serviceable gutters for their homes are
advised to consider installing gutter guards, screens that prevent
debris from entering the gutter. These devices also direct the flow of
water away from the house and into the ground. This way, one will have
gutters that will prove to be more of a blessing than a curse. Proper
maintenance of these devices will cause them to be extremely useful
while adding a touch of style to the exterior of the home which they
form part of.
About the author
For more great gutter related articles and resources check out
http://www.gutterhq.com
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