Tips on Maintaining Your Gutter

Gutters are among the most neglected parts of a house. Like the roof and other structural components that are hard to access, the gutter often does not receive proper care. The problem is, gutters play a major role in keeping rainwater and snow from collecting on the roof and causing damages, so you have to ensure that your gutter is always in top condition. Here are some tips on how you can safely take care of your gutter.

Whenever you are cleaning or repainting your roof, you will need a ladder. However, it’s crucial that you avoid leaning the ladder on a gutter. Gutters may seem sturdy enough, but they have not been designed to withstand heavy loads like a ladder. Your added weight as you step on the ladder can cause the gutter to break.

Your gutter also needs regular cleaning. Not only can leaves and twigs block the path of water, rendering your gutter inefficient, but they can also weaken the integrity of the gutter as they decompose. In worse cases, decomposed organic material can turn into a bedding for seeds carried by birds, which can eventually grow into plants.

The best way to protect your gutter from early destruction is to install a gutter guard system. This is a gutter solution with a screen which helps prevent materials large enough to cause blockages from getting into the gutter. Gutter guard systems efficiently serve to maintain the flow of rainwater from the roof to the drain spout below.