Have you been dreading the job of gutter and downspout cleaning? It's not hard to understand why. Going up on the roof and trying to get all the junk out of your rain gutters isn't something that anyone looks forward to, but it is definitely something that is necessary for any homeowner to do at least once a year. Here are some tips to help make this job a little easier.
Obviously, keeping your rain gutters and eaves free from leaves, sticks and other debris will help prevent clogging and keep them from sagging or coming apart from the roof and creating a more serious water problem in the future.
We don't often consider the fact that our rain gutters and downspouts really do protect our home from damage. They aid in preventing water from pouring off of your roof and getting into your foundation and eventually into your home, as well as preventing rotting of your roof.
When it comes to cleaning gutters and downspouts you have a couple of choices; having a gutter contractor come out and do it for you, or climbing up the ladder and doing it yourself.
Before you go to climbing that ladder be sure you are physically able and comfortable in doing it. My father fell from a ladder a couple of years ago doing this and broke his leg in the process. He could have easily had the work done for him, but chose to do it himself even though he knew he shouldn't have. I urge you to give this some careful thought. Using the services of a guttering company is not out of the reach of most budgets and it will prevent any possible accidents.
For those who are going to do it themselves you will need a good ladder, a garden hose, safety glasses, gloves and pole or something similar to help get some of the leaves and sticks out with. It may be possible to go on the roof and use a leave blowing machine if your gutter is dry and doesn't have that much in it. It's another option.
Once you are on the roof, pick out the large areas of debris in the gutter before hosing them out. You want to avoid washing the leaves and everything else down into your downspout or you run the risk of getting it clogged up. Then, once you have the major junk out of the gutter you spray the channel with water and get them cleaned out.
Although this is not a tough task to accomplish it is vital to the upkeep of your home. Depending on how many trees you have around your home you may need to do this once in the spring and once again in the late fall in order to keep things flowing freely.
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