Maintaining your gutters and why it’s important

Maintaining your gutters is probably the last thing you think about. Whether you have a commercial or domestic property to maintain, gutters tend to be last on the to-do list, until something goes wrong.

To make sure you give your gutters the full attention they deserve we have put together a must-read guide on how to maintain and repair your guttering.

So why is gutter maintenance so important?

For a start clogged up gutters not only causes water to flow incorrectly off your roof but can add weight to the gutters. This makes them sag and fall apart. If your gutters are not working as they should or have been damaged, they can no longer do the job they were designed for. This can lead to other issues as mentioned above or far worse.

Gutters are there to protect your home or commercial property from water. They are there to make sure the water from the roof is carried away safely to the downpipes and into the drains. Without them, water would just pour straight off and run down the exterior wall and windows of your property.

This leaves potential for the water to find its way into any small crack or crevice, and potential for damage to paintwork, brickwork and pointing. The damper the conditions the more chance of mould over time. Without taking care of your gutters you will be faced with increased maintenance to resolve the problem. All of which can be avoided with regular maintenance and cleaning of your gutters.

Maintenance and Repairs of your guttering

We all have a good routine for keeping the inside of our homes and commercial properties clean and this should extend to the outside of our properties too.

1. Carry out a regular external inspection of your gutters

Inspections carried out around four times a year is recommended and the best time to do this is when it’s raining.
Next time it rains have a look to see how your guttering is performing.

Look out for the following signs:

• Is there water flowing over one point of the gutter
• Are there any drips coming from the gutter?
• Is there any vegetation growing from the gutter?
• Can you see any loose, bending or misshapen downpipes?
• Is there any splashback happening at ground level?
• Is the exterior wall green or discoloured or mouldy?
• Do you have any pointing or brickwork damaged?
• Are there any cracks in the foundation?

If the answer is yes to any of these questions, then the chances are you have blocked gutters and it’s time to get them cleaned before real problems strike.

These are all warning signed of ongoing damage to your property caused by blocked gutters and you need to act straight away.

2. Inspect the inside of your property.

Some of the most serious damage caused by blocked guttering happens inside the property.
If you have a leaky roof, and/or watermarks appearing on the ceilings, don’t assume that the roof tiling is automatically at fault.

A common issue with blocked gutters is that when rainwater has nowhere to go, it backs up under the roof causing internal problems with leaks and mould. If you have any of these problems in your property, then again have your guttering checked.

Remember prevention is always better than cure, spotting blocked gutters is not always easy and often the damage has already been done. Regular checks and gutter cleaning prevent such problems.

3. Deal with any minor repairs needed

Occasionally your guttering may need a small repair, such as a leak between two sections of the guttering and the joint that connects them.

These kinds of repairs are easy to complete and will prevent further problems occurring in the future.
Remember small issues become bigger ones if left alone over time.

If you don’t feel confident in carrying out any repairs to your guttering, then use a professional service to do this for you.

4. Clean your gutters regularly

To keep your gutters and downpipes in tip-top condition they should be cleaned twice a year in Spring and Winter, or at the very least once a year.

All properties whether domestic or commercial should carry out regular cleaning and maintenance of their guttering and downpipes as part of their ongoing maintenance.

This is even more important for landlords and commercial property managers as the costs of poor external property maintenance can be much higher.

Getting up on the roof of your home or commercial property can dangerous especially if you are afraid of heights and don’t own the right tools or have the right skills necessary to clean your gutters or downpipes.
We would recommend using a professional service like ourselves to take care of this for you.

As part of our gutter cleaning service, we will do any minor repairs as well as identify any worsening problems before they become bigger ones and offer you advice on future maintenance of your guttering and downpipes.

Conclusion

As you can see guttering and downpipes play an important role in protecting your property.
If you look after it, it will look after you and help prevent damage to the property.

Carrying out regular inspections, keeping it clean and tackling those minor repairs is the best way of maintaining your gutters and downpipes.