12 September 2017
 Categories: Home & Garden, Blog

Your roof's gutters are an important drainage system to help keep your home's interior dry and moisture-free from its rooftop to the basement foundation. When debris collects inside your gutters from leaves, dirt, and other organic debris, it can clog and prevent the gutters from draining properly. Here are some tips to help you clean and maintain your gutters so they continue to work their best all year long:

Clean Your Gutters

Storms and wind through the year can cause leaves, pine needles, and other debris to fall upon your roof and flow into your gutters where it collects and often remains. For this reason, it is important to clean out your gutters every year to remove this build-up of debris. If you have many trees around your home, especially pine trees which shed a lot of needles all year long, it is recommended to clean out your gutters more often to keep them clean.

Safely get upon your roof and while wearing work gloves to scoop and remove the debris from the gutters with your hand or a garden trowel. Be careful not to damage the inside of the gutters as you clean them. You can also clean them with a pressure washer, spraying the debris from them with a medium-pressure tip. Be careful you don't direct the flow of high-pressure water onto your roofing shingles, as the force can damage and lift them.

Maintain Proper Drainage

After you have cleaned your gutters, make sure they and your downspouts are draining water properly. Turn your garden hose onto your roof and watch as water is collected and diverted from the gutter system and drained by the downspouts. Look for any sagging gutters or cracks and holes that may cause water to drip or overflow from the gutters onto the soil below. If you find any damage to the gutters in this manner, you should have them repaired as soon as possible. Excess moisture dripping onto the soil around your home's foundation can cause interior moisture leaks to your basement.

Next, check your downspouts for proper flow of water. If they are clogged with any debris, use a pressure washer or your garden hose to spray down through the downspout until the debris is flushed from its interior and water drainage is restored. Make sure the downspout has a downspout diverter and a splash plate. It is recommended to extend the drainage from the downspout to a spot several feet away from your home's foundation to help prevent basement moisture problems. It is recommended to use a splash plate so the flow of water does not erode the soil.

Use these tips to help you clean and maintain your home's gutters. Contact a company like Mile High Seamless Gutters, Inc. for more information and assistance.