If you own a home, then one task you periodically have to take care of, unless you hire someone to do it for you, is maintaining your home’s guttering system. Guttering consists of the rain gutters and downspouts that are attached to your home that work to draw water away from your roof and the sides of your home where it can do damage if left to sit. A guttering system also consists of any other gutter accessories that work along with the gutters and downspouts, such as splashblocks, gutter guards, and gutter clips. Keeping your guttering system clean and well maintained is important, so that the gutter components can do their job properly.
Gutter cleaning is not the most exciting job in the world, but it is one that needs to be tackled nonetheless. For the most part, you should tackle gutter cleaning about once a year, although if you live in a location that has a lot of trees overhead, you may need to do it more often. Conversely, if there are very few tall trees near your home, you may get away with a less frequent gutter cleaning schedule. When cleaning guttering, it’s also a good time to handle any gutter repair and maintenance that needs to be done at the same time.
Here is a guide to basic guttering cleaning and maintenance:
Tools needed:
- Ladder
- Heavy work gloves
- Safety glasses
- Hose
- Power washer (optional)
- 2×4” block
- Trash bags
- Gutter cleaning tools , flat edged tool , or stiff brush for loosening debris
- Plumber’s auger
How to clean gutters and downspouts:
- Rest a ladder against the edge of the house so you can reach the gutters. If the gutters are higher than one story, you may want to consider hiring a professional rather than tackling this DIY guttering project (especially if you’re afraid of heights!). If you decide to get up on that ladder, make sure it is securely planted on the ground and have someone support the ladder while you are up there. Also, so you don’t dent the gutters when the ladder is leaning on them, place a 2×4” block inside the gutter to keep it from denting.
- Make sure you are wearing heavy work gloves because there are often sharp edges inside the gutters. Eye protection is also a good idea to protect your eyes from any flying debris. And you should be wearing clothes you don’t mind getting dirty, because you will get dirty during this job.
- To begin, scoop out as many leaves and other types of debris as possible by hand and place in trash bags. You can either have the bags attached to the ladder with you, or you can throw the debris down and then collect it when you are off the ladder.
- Take a hose, or a power washer set on a low setting, and rinse the inside of the guttering to remove all remaining debris. A power washer will do a better job of loosening hardened debris, but be careful when operating one up on a ladder and be sure it is not on too powerful a setting to kick back any debris or knock you off balance.
- If there are areas of stuck-on debris, use a guttering tool, flat edge tool (like a putty knife), or stiff brush to loosen the debris and then rinse again to remove it.
- If the downspouts are running slow or you think there is a clog within them, run a plumbers auger (snake) up or down the spout to unclog it.
- While cleaning the gutters, check for any broken clips or unattached sections and make guttering repairs while you are up there. If you find that water is running slow down your guttering and downspouts, then you may need to make a slight adjustment to the angle of the gutters to get water moving more rapidly. The gutters should slope down about ¼” for every 10 linear feet of guttering towards the downspouts.
- You may also want to consider installing gutter guards to keep leaves and debris from entering the gutters again, making it unnecessary to have to repeat the gutter cleaning process again in the near future. You can have a professional install a gutter guard system for you, but there are DIY gutter guard kits that you can purchase and install yourself for a fraction of the cost. Basically, these guards are a mesh covering for your gutters that allow rain to flow in but keep leaves and debris from getting in and clogging the guttering system. They are a great way to keep gutters cleaner.
- Continue moving around the house, working from a location furthest away from the downspouts towards the downspouts to clean each section of guttering. If you find that the gutters are too clogged to allow any water to flow through during the process of hosing or power washing the gutters, you may have to start near the downspouts and work your way backwards so that the water and loose debris can flow through.
- Before your gutter cleaning and maintenance project is complete, check all splashblocks and make sure they are located in the proper position and at an angle that will direct water away from your home.
- Clean up all debris (including yourself – you’ll probably be wet and dirty) and then sit back, relax and bask in the accomplishment of another DIY home project completed!
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