For those of you who have rented their whole lives and then buy a home to live in, all of a sudden you find yourself a handy man. With that comes doing things like looking at the roof and checking the downspouts and working your way down the building. We are going to learn how and why it is important to keep your gutters clean.
As the gutters become clogged due to leaves or small branches and the like, the water will be trapped inside. As it fills with water it will become heavy and may fall off of your home. To put that into perspective, one gallon of water weighs just over eight pounds.Think about how many gallons of water it would hold before falling off the structure.
Anytime that you have water that is not flowing you are inviting mosquitoes to come and lay eggs. These eggs hatch and you have now created problems with these pests. The gutters are usually installed on top of a facia board, if you have blockage the wood becomes very wet and will become rotted wood that will need replacing.
Now that the decision has been made to finally clean up that gutter, you will need a pair of gloves, a small garbage bag, and small shovel and the ladder. Find a friend to hold the ladder secure while you work. Using your hand or shovel dig out all the sticks and yard trash, do this in each gutter. Then rinse with the garden hose while checking for good strong water flow.
Every so often you need to look at the screws that hold the gutters onto the home, make sure they are tight and secure. Doing this helps prevent it from coming lose and pulling out of the wall. This is a small thing you can do to ensure that your property is safe to walk around on. Check the other things around your home for safety sake.
At this point, you can see how not to overlook gutter maintenance. Make it a habit to clean them twice each year, and to check them in between. As long as there is no rotten wood and debris in them you are fine. The cleaning itself is not a hard thing to do, just be safety conscience about it and you will be fine.
As the gutters become clogged due to leaves or small branches and the like, the water will be trapped inside. As it fills with water it will become heavy and may fall off of your home. To put that into perspective, one gallon of water weighs just over eight pounds.Think about how many gallons of water it would hold before falling off the structure.
Anytime that you have water that is not flowing you are inviting mosquitoes to come and lay eggs. These eggs hatch and you have now created problems with these pests. The gutters are usually installed on top of a facia board, if you have blockage the wood becomes very wet and will become rotted wood that will need replacing.
Now that the decision has been made to finally clean up that gutter, you will need a pair of gloves, a small garbage bag, and small shovel and the ladder. Find a friend to hold the ladder secure while you work. Using your hand or shovel dig out all the sticks and yard trash, do this in each gutter. Then rinse with the garden hose while checking for good strong water flow.
Every so often you need to look at the screws that hold the gutters onto the home, make sure they are tight and secure. Doing this helps prevent it from coming lose and pulling out of the wall. This is a small thing you can do to ensure that your property is safe to walk around on. Check the other things around your home for safety sake.
At this point, you can see how not to overlook gutter maintenance. Make it a habit to clean them twice each year, and to check them in between. As long as there is no rotten wood and debris in them you are fine. The cleaning itself is not a hard thing to do, just be safety conscience about it and you will be fine.
About the Author:
Locating a gutter cleaning service in London will be quick when you know where to look. Gutter repairs and cleaning by courteous and experienced staff will keep your home looking great!
