Tips on How to Keep Guttering in Good Condition

Keeping your guttering in good condition will help keep your rooftop working as it should, protecting your home from the elements. When guttering is damaged, running water could eventually lead to extensive damage to your property in the long run and even structural damage if leaking gutters are left unchecked. Leaky gutters can also cause falls around the property from slippery surfaces around the building, so stay safe and keep your gutters repaired.

Check Your Guttering for Leaks

Next time it rains, do a quick check to ensure that your guttering is allowing water to flow freely from the property. Keep your gutters free of debris and leaves that can cause water to back up and overflow. This can be problem particularly in winter, when standing water can turn to ice and cause your guttering to crack. You can check behind the pipes using a small hand mirror.

Clean your gutters at least once a year to keep them clear of leaves. This is particularly important if you live near trees. You should aim to clean your gutters in autumn, before freezing winter weather sets in and can cause leaks. A leaf guard will help to keep rain water flowing freely through your guttering, although debris can still get inside so you should keep checking them anyway.

You may be able to clean your gutters yourself, but if you’re not good at working at height, call out a professional roofer who offers gutter cleaning and maintenance work. If you’re doing it yourself, wear protective gloves and scoop out the dirt and debris from your gutters. Afterwards, flush it through with water to ensure that the blockage is cleared. For blocked downpipes, use drainage rods to push the blockage through. For angled pipes, use a length of wire such as an old coat hanger to push the debris through.

Undertaking Small Repairs

Guttering should be fixed securely in place so that water can make its way to the downpipe to drain away. If you have sagging gutters, it’s usually down to worn brackets or loose screws that hold the brackets in place. Keep your gutters firmly in place by tightening the screws so that your gutters are level. To make sure, use a spirit level before you tighten the screws and make any adjustments so that the water can flow away from the rooftop. If you need to adjust the gutters to manipulate the flow of water, simply move the brackets or adapt them by placing a piece of lead between the gutter and the bracket to prop up the gutter and make the water flow in the direction of the downpipe.

The most common type of guttering is plastic. They are lightweight and practical as well as being easy to maintain and affordable. Small cracks in plastic gutters can be repaired simply using a sealant.

For a more sturdy, long lasting solution to guttering, cast iron or pressed steel gutters can be used. These gutters last for many years and as long as they are kept in good condition, they provide excellent value for money. A lick of zinc chromate paint each year will help extend their life.

When you’re working with your gutters, stay safe by using the right equipment. Protect your hands with a good pair of gloves, especially when you’re working with steel or iron gutters as the sharp edges can tear your skin. Use the right ladders of the work and never be tempted to overstretch to reach a piece of gutter or you could end up falling.

To make sure your gutters are working as they should, call in a trained roofer to undertake gutter maintenance for you.

G&A Roofing and Building is a leading roofing firm that deals with all aspects of roofing work, including gutter repairs and replacement guttering. Call our team of trained roofers for gutter care today on 0800 626430.