KEEP YOUR GUTTERS CLEAN

Posted on November 7, 2022 in Cleaning

Gutters and roofs are not designed to hold standing water for lengthy periods of time. Clogged gutters, caused by a build-up of debris, can hamper effective rainwater drainage and long term can cause expensive and preventable damage to your property. It’s important to keep your gutters clean and free flowing.

Why gutters need cleaning regularly?

A debris clogged gutter can cause a leaky roof or water damage to the interior or exterior of your home. Gutters are an integral piece of your home’s wellbeing. They serve to control the flow of rainwater to protect your roof, walls, foundation, and landscape

We live in Britain – famed the world over for one thing – rain! Combine this with prolonged autumn with our beautiful deciduous native trees dropping their leaves and being met with a blustery wind, everyone’s gutters are prone to blockages. The problem is that gutter blockages spell danger that regular gutter cleaning prevents.

They can cause structural damage both internally and externally and result in expensive repairs. While a one-off clean is great, unless you have a professional doing the job it’s likely that it will be incomplete at best. Additionally, you’re likely to forget about it until a problem strikes.

Prevents damage

It’s in your best interest to keep gutters clean and free from debris. This prevents damage to your home and costly repairs. However, it’s all too easy to let Gutter Cleaning slip down the list of chores that need doing. It’s rarely a favorite job and can be dangerous and difficult.

Before you know it, your gutters have clogged up over several years without your knowledge. So, your gutters need cleaning regularly.

How often should they be cleaned?

It depends largely on where you live and, most importantly, how many trees are in your yard? Most houses can get away with having their gutters cleared annually, but in some cases, this may need to be more regular – 6 monthly if surrounded by lots of trees (especially fir trees, with pine needles).

Best Time Of Year To Get My Gutters Cleaned Out?

If you have your guttering cleaned out once a year, it really doesn’t matter what time of year they are cleaned because they will never have enough time unattended to allow them to get completely blocked. Annual cleaning prevents the build-up of debris which can cause blockages, broken guttering and penetrating damp – all of which can be costly to fix. If you would still like to know what time of year, then here are a few points about each season to note:

Spring
Spring showers can be heavy and will wash silt, sand and fine debris from the roof into the guttering. This debris can block guttering easily, weighs a lot and provides a perfect bed for seedlings to take root.

Summer
Summer brings growth and lots of it! This is when you are most likely to notice plants and grass growing out of your guttering. These plants are blocking the flow of water and with our summer rain at times, it won’t be long before the water is overflowing.

Autumn
Leaves, leaves, leaves! Add to this stronger winds and if you have trees near your home, your gutters are likely to be full. Add rain to the mix and these leaves turn to rotten mush, a perfect filler for your downspouts!

Winter
By this stage, the contents of your guttering will have died and the decomposing debris will slow down the flow of water, which in turn will freeze in the cold conditions. This adds unnecessary weight and strain to your gutter system, which can lead to breakages, leaks, and overflows. So no matter what time of year it is, if your guttering hasn’t been cleaned out within the last year, it would be well worth your while to get them checked out.

Why use a professional gutter cleaner?

Very few homeowners possess either the right tools or the right skills for a gutter cleaning task.

Thinking that it is a simple case of climbing a ladder and emptying the debris into a black sack is where the first problems lie.

Even if you have a ladder which extends to gutter height, this is a dangerous position for an amateur.

Additionally, it becomes all too easy to put undue weight on the gutter in the process potentially causing more damage. Further damage can be caused by using the wrong implement to help, for example, a metal scraper in a plastic pipe, or by accidentally lodging the blockage further into the pipe.

Efficiency

Hiring a professional gets the job done quickly, efficiently and safely. They have the proper training, equipment, and experience to handle cleaning your gutters and downspouts the right way, the first time.

Safety

Cleaning gutters involves climbing ladders or using equipment like Gutter Vacs and there are risks involved. Without proper equipment and training, a fall from a ladder can be a costly accident. A professional should also be fully insured if something goes wrong. Trying to save a few Pounds doing it yourself is simply not worth the risk.

Inspection

A professional company will inspect your gutters, downspouts and other systems as a part of cleaning your gutters. We know what to look for and what is causing the issue and we can give you solid advice about what might need to be done next.

Peace of mind

When you’ve hired the right company, you can be assured that a fully trained technician, with the right equipment and experience, has done the job right. this gives you peace of mind that you are taking care of your most important investment which includes your family and a properly maintained home.

At Protech we’ve been successfully inspecting, unblocking and cleaning gutters for more than 35 years. Find out how we can help you, by calling 0845 604 1288 or visit Protech Gutter Solutions for more information.