Archive for the ‘Gutters’ Category

Aluminum gutters ready for the summer rain?

Thursday, July 9th, 2009

Not spending a few quick minutes on your aluminum gutters now can cost you thousands of dollars later.

1174708_71547632Did you know that something as small as a clog in your gutters can result in thousands of dollars of damage to your foundation, basement and exterior trim?  It can also cause damage to your roof if your gutters decided that the weight from the clog was too much resulting in a full collapse. The last thing you want to have to do is trim repair or repair to your foundation due to neglecting something as simple as gutter maintenance.

Maintaining your gutters and repairing at the first signs of damage can be the difference between a minor inconvenience and a major catastrophe.  However the majority of home owners do not do a simple check every year that could potentially save them a big headache.

Trees lose leaves in the fall, water and ice can fill up gutters in the winter, with the coming of spring seedlings and dead material from winter can clog gutters and in a Virginia summer the occasional strong breeze can result in leaves and other material blowing up onto roofs and into gutters.   Even if you didn’t have to contend with these potential problems there are still the issues of rust and bad seams that may form over time.

There is no easy way to clean and maintain your gutters so get your ladder and get up there!  Although you may have gutter guards that is not the be all, end all of gutter maintenance. If your gutter guards are clogged with material then water cannot access the gutters and will pool on your roof, clog your gutters and cascade over the sides.  In essence, your gutters (and your gutter guards!) are useless.

Here are some steps to help keep your gutters like new and your house problem-free:

  • Use a safe ladder that you know is secure.  This is not the time to trust grandpa’s old wooden ladder that has been rotting in the backyard for the past 15 years.  Buy one or rent one (for about $40) at your local home improvement store.
  • Use a ladder stabilizer to ensure you do not crush your gutters with the ladder.  These can be purchased or rented at some hardware stores. Be aware of electrical wires nearby.  If possible, have a handy neighbor spot the ladder for you.  If you have teen children, put the grounded one to work for you holding the ladder and collecting the gunk you pull out of the gutter.
  • Don’t forget your gloves and bring a hammer to resecure any loose gutter spikes.
  • If you use gutter guards ensure that you carefully pick them up and inspect the gutters underneath.  Ensure everything is flowing free by running your hose into the gutters.  If you like, spray the water on the roof and think Hollywood rain special effects.
  • Pull out any old leaves and debris that has worked its way into your gutters.  Make sure, as you throw it down it does not hit the siding or wrap around a rung of the ladder.  I have heard of this happening before with bad results.
  • Check downspout to ensure that any screening is not clogged.  Run water through the downspouts to ensure they are clear.  Are fasteners secured?
  • Check the spikes that hold the gutters to the roof.  Are they all intact?  Any pulling loose?  If a few are loose and the grade of the gutter is compromised this can result in water overflowing at the lower gutter point.  Add longer spikes if necessary for a better grip on the roof.

Hey, while you are up there you can check a few other things on your roof such as the condition of your shingles, vent pipe gaskets or for any bare nails.

If you would rather save the time and leave it to the pros, call your local, trustworthy and reliable roof contractor, siding contractor, or trim company.

Remember that not doing this basic maintenance on your roof now can result in thousands of dollars in loss later.  Next topic, a rubber roof.”

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Gutter Cleaning – Why and How

Thursday, February 19th, 2009

Keeping your gutters clean is more important than you may think!gutters

Gutters play an important role in diverting water away from your foundation, windows, doors and landscaping, but that’s not the most important reason to keep your gutters clean.

What to do with Clogged gutters

When your gutters are clogged and begin to overflow you may see the water coming over the front of your gutter but what you can’t see is the water that is flowing over the back of your gutters. When water flows over the back of your gutters it can enter your soffit and even worse it can enter your walls! The damage that this water will do can’t be seen until something begins to fall apart. Ihave seen many different types of damage done by overflowing gutters. The most common is when your gutters start falling off of your house and when you go to re-attach them you realize there is no solid wood left behind the gutters to attach to.

Severe cases

From water going in the house instead of down the spout, the most severe case I have seen was a job we performed a couple of years ago. We had to build temporary walls in a house to support the roof, then go under the house and jack up the entire rear so we could install all new floor joists because all the ends were rotten. We then had to remove   rear wall and replace all the framing, insulation, sheathing, drywall and siding. All of this damage was caused by a gutter overflowing over the back, running behind the fascia board and running down the inside of the wall. All of the damage was occurring inside the wall where it could not be seen and the home owner did not realize it was happening until he went to open his bathroom window one day and the entire window fell out of the wall into the back yard. His neighbor came over to help him board up the hole in his wall but the sheathing was so rotten that they could not nail the boards to the wall. They ended up having to lean a piece of plywood up against the hole and prop up a board behind it and drive a stake in the ground to hold it in place. If he would have waited any longer to fix the problem the entire rear of the roof would have fallen into his house.

Inventions for cleaning gutters

I’ve seen a lot of inventions for cleaning gutters but they all fall short in some way.   There is a scoop that is the exact shape of a gutter so you can just scoop the debris out. The problem with that is the shingles on your roof hang into the gutter and prevent you from even getting the scoop into the gutter, not to mention the spike or bracket that you will run into every 5 feet or so. There are also wands that shoot water through your gutter to clear the leaves out. The problem with that is the leaves tend to go to your downspouts and clog them up and the water isn’t powerful enough to blow out the years of dirt and shingle grit that are packed in the bottom of the gutters. The only effective way to clean gutters is with your hands. You will need to climb a ladder with a bucket, some gloves and maybe a small garden trowel. Be very careful because most falls while cleaning gutters are head first and a lot of times fatal. Take a small piece of rope up with you to tie the ladder to the gutter or if you have  a ladder stabilizer they work very well. You will have  to move  the ladder several times so pay attention to where you have  already cleaned to get the most out of your ladder placement. To clean your down spouts you can use a coat hanger or a small plumbing snake.

How to clean your downspouts.

To properly clean your downspouts you will need to loosen the debris in the elbows at the top. Most of the time you can hit the outside of the downspout repeatedly and dislodge the debris in the vertical sections. Running a hose down from the top works sometimes too but be careful of the water shooting back up into your face or getting the ladder wet and slippery.
Gutter guards can be a good solution if you do not want to clean gutters every year but in a heavy downpour the water tends to run right over the top especially on a steep roof. My personal preference is to have  ground gutters or to have the landscape sloping away from the house if possible. Rain diverters on the roof can be used over doors or small gable roof dormers can be installed to divert water away from entry ways.

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