One of the most often neglected parts of the modern roof is the gutter. Experts actually recommend cleaning this part of your roof at least once every 6 months. Cleaning your gutters makes sure that there is no accumulation or buildup of debris which can obstruct the efficient flow of water. In the winter months, clean gutters can also help prevent the damming of ice, preventing roof leaks. These are just two of the many reasons why you need to clean your gutter no less than twice a year. The next question now is related to how you can clean your gutters effectively.
- Prepare your materials
There are plenty of innovative tools that can help you clean your gutter in a more efficient manner. Typically, these can include a sturdy ladder, water hose, disposal bag, garden scoop or trowel, gloves, 2 buckets, safety glasses, and wire hooks. To some extent, you might want to include a power drill including a variety of drill bits as well as gutter sealant and touch-up paint for those instant repairs.
Understand that while your primary purpose is to clean your gutter, you should also take this opportunity to inspect the overall integrity of the surface water collection channel. If you spot something amiss, then you can easily apply corrective measures – you can repair these in an instant.
- Clean your gutters
Before you go up your roof, make sure that the weather is going to be fair throughout the rest of the day. You don’t want to be cleaning when it’s windy or raining. Make sure there is no overcast sky.
Always start cleaning your gutters near your roof’s downspout. Use your garden trowel to remove larger debris such as twigs, small branches, and even leaves. Dump these into your bucket. Get your garden hose and flush the rest of the debris that your trowel couldn’t remove. In flushing your gutter, you need to position the hose away from the downspout so that you can cover as much debris as possible along the entire length of the gutter.
Make sure water is draining down the downspout. If not, it simply means your downspout is clogged. To remove whatever is blocking the spout, you can force water through it at full pressure. If this is not possible or if it doesn’t work, then you’ll need a plumber’s snake to work your way dislodging the object or debris from its placement. Once the downspout has cleared, you can flush the gutter again.
- Perform spot inspection
While you are flushing your gutters, you may want to evaluate the general movement of water. If some of it remains, it usually means the gutter’s slope is not correct. You may have to adjust the slope of your gutter. Also, if there are missing parts or damage in any section of the gutter, then you will need to apply an instant fix by calling your local Houston roof repair company. The same is true with any leak that you notice along the length of the gutter.
Cleaning your gutters is an important aspect of caring for your home. It is an important responsibility of any homeowner. The good news is that, if you don’t like the whole idea of cleaning, you can always call a professional roof and gutter cleaner/repairman to get it done.