Proper Maintenance Of Your Gutter System

Autumn has come and it is the time to check on your gutter system more often than usual. This is the season when your gutter tends to accumulate dirt and debris that will lessen the effectiveness of the system. It is always best to maintain the functionality of the gutter system to avoid damages the rain might do to your house due to faulty or not properly maintained gutter. Here are a few maintenance tips for your gutter system.

• Always make sure that the gutter system is free from debris and dirt. Accumulation of such even in small amounts can cause the down spout to clog. This will in turn slow down the outgoing water from the gutter. And if the downpour is heavy, it may cause an overflow that can lead to damages to your ceilings and walls.
• Hose down the dirt from the gutter. When dirt has already accumulated, chances are that it already hardened and may be difficult to remove manually.
• When it has been a long time after the last maintenance of your gutter or it has already rained before you were able to clean it, chances are that there are debris that entered the down spout and the pipes. Try to pour a pail of water into the down spout and check the outflow of the water. If it is too slow, you will need to de-clog the pipes.
• Check for rusts in the gutter. If these rusts are not addressed early, they will cause the gutter to have holes and water to drip from them. Depending on the location, it may cause the water to get into the ceilings of walls. Moreover, these spots will grow bigger until properly repaired.
• If your gutter system already has many damages or that it needs to be maintained more often than usual, maybe it"s time to think of overhauling your gutter system to a better one. It may cost more than just repairing it but it will be a cost saver in the long run since repairing and maintaining it more often will accumulate costs.

Take advantage of this season to check and maintain your gutter system. You may not need it now but if the time comes that you need it to function well and it has not been properly maintained, it can cause damage to your house and the cost might be higher than if you maintained your gutter system. It is always better to prevent damages rather than fix it. Besides, the gutter system has been installed for a reason and function, so it is best to maintain it for it to function effectively.