Extend the Life of Your Roofing--Gutter Care in 3 Easy Steps
Extend the Life of Your Roofing--Gutter Care in 3 Easy
Steps
Replacing your roof is expensive. Extend the life of your ro
ofing with gutter care. The gutters and downspouts of your
roof are the primary protection against water damage to your
roof and your home. Allowing leaves and debris to accumulate in
the gutters not only renders them less effective but can damage
your gutters and ultimately your roofing.
Gutter maintenance can be a dirty job, but somebody's got to do
it--really. Regular gutter maintenance is vital for keeping your
gutters clean and working properly. Keep your house and roofing
safe and dry through regular roofing and gutter care with these
three easy steps.
Clean Out
Gutters need to be cleaned every year to remove leaves and
other debris from the system. Use a sturdy
ladder on steady footing to help you in your roofing and
gutter care. Many ladders feature span
s designed specifically to place you at the perfect distance
from your gutters without resting or leaning against them, which
could damage your gutters.
If you have gutter covers or screens and leaves have made their
way underneath them, remove the covers before you begin to clean
out your gutters to ensure that they're thoroughly clean.
Carefully remove leaves, sticks and all other debris from your
gutters and roof. This wet mulch may have already begun to
decompose in your gutters. You can bag the debris as yard waste
or trash or add it to your compost pile. Stubborn debris may
require a tool, like a barbeque brush, to remove.
Rinse Out
Once the gutters are debris-free, use a garden hose to rinse
them. This method is also useful in finding leaks or detecting
clogged downspouts. A high pressure stream of water may be able
to remove clogs, but it may also take shaking the downspout or
even using a broomstick or dowel to remove it.
Once your gutters a fully clean, protect them with gutter
screens. Screens keep debris from building up in gutters and
drains, but leaves can still accumulate on top of the screens.
Even with gutter screens, regular roofing and gutter care is
still necessary. The leaves that accumulate on your roof can
create weak spots and introduce rotting and leaking to your
roof, both of which can require expensive repairs.
Check Out
Once your gutters are clean and protected, inspect downspouts,
pipes, and gutters for rust, warping, damage and other problems.
Check all connections along the pipes as well as the connections
to the house to ensure that they are sturdy. Replace damaged
connections or pipe sections to keep your gutters working
optimally. You can patch holes in your gutters with roofing
cement. A metal patch is necessary for larger holes, but these
fixes can save you the expense of replacing an entire section of
gutter--or your roof.
As part of your annual roofing and gutter check up, you should
inspect the overall condition of the roof as well. You can do
this by using a ladder to climb on the roof or using an attic
ladder to get up close and personal from the inside of the
roof.
Inspecting your roof from the inside out is probably a better
alternative to keep you from falling through any extremely weak
spots on your roof. Always exercise caution on roofs and in
attics.
Look for discoloration, dampness, and other warning signs of
water damage. If you do detect signs of water damage,
immediately check the wood, insulation or other surrounding
materials for signs of mold. Mold can be removed with chemicals,
but extensive mold problems should always be handled by a
professional to make sure that all the mold is contained.
Termites and other pests might also be a problem. Check for
potential rodent and bird nests while you're inspecting your
roof.
With these useful tips, you'll be able to extend the life of
your roofing through gutter care and maintenance. Remember to
always exercise caution when working on a ladd
er and use other safety measures to keep yourself out of
harm's way as you protect your house from water damage.
About the author:
Jordan McCollum is a content writer for 10x Marketing, an Internet marketing firm. To
learn more about the best tools for ro
ofing/gutter care, visit LittleGiantSales.com
today.
Jordan McCollum
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