Rain Gutters provide a major purpose in routing water away from one of the largest surface area of a house, your roof. By channeling the water away from your house, it actually ends up protecting the siding, windows, doors, and even the foundation of your home.
I pulled the following from a DIY website, which describes the many components to a typical aluminum gutter system that may be used around your home. Regardless of how it is setup, how it looks, or the material of the system, it's primary purpose is to keep water away from your home.
When we first moved in, we realized after the first few rain showers, that water was spilling over the edges of the gutters in multiple different locations around the house. After inspecting the gutters, I realized that they were filled with leaves and silt so water was not able to make it to the drop outlet to drain away from my house.
I gathered the following items: a ladder, heavy duty gloves, garbage bag and my garden hose with an affixed pistol grip spout. I'm not going to glorify this task, it's not fun nor is it an interesting project. Add on to the start of winter, cold weather in a wet working environment did not make for a good combination, so if you can, check your gutters when the climate is to your advantage.
Thus the project begins, start digging into gutter and remove all the excess leaves and silt that has accumulated since it's last cleaning, if ever, and place into the garbage bag. I ended up tying one end of the garbage bag to one of the higher rungs of the ladder so I have one hand to hold onto the structure while the free hand was pulling the obstruction out of the gutter.
Once I was able to remove most of the obstruction, I took the garden hose and adjusted the nozzle so that I would expel a high velocity of water. I started from the opposite end of the gutter or close to an end cap furthest from where the downspout is located and sprayed the remainder of the loose dirt out. You may need to bring back the garbage bag to pull more loose dirt once it starts accumulating again. For parts of the gutter that had two downspouts on either end, I would start in the middle or where it seemed to be the lowest point in between either drop outlet.
In the middle of this project, I realized that it is something I do not want to do again, or at least I would need to find a way to prolong having to do this again. I went to the local Home Improvement store and purchased snap-on Gutter Guards; they come in multiple types and colors that are available. I prefer the ones that are depicted below; they appear to far more durable and simpler to attach. They are a couple dollars per 3 feet segments. They do come in cartons, which also helps in saving a few extra dollars. These guards have an embedded mesh wiring in-between the plastic body which allows water to filter through while keeping debris out of the gutter system.
To install, take the end of the gutter guard with the lip and snap to the part of the gutter that is away from the wall of the house. You will hear and feel it snap into place with little effort. Once the tongue of the gutter guard is in place, take the flat end and place it between the roof apron and the shingles of the house. It may take a little bit of manipulating of the shingles and the gutter guard for it to be properly installed. Continue doing this until your gutters are completely covered by the guard. You will be need sheers or heady duty scissors to cut the end pieces of the guard to allow for proper fit.
Since putting on the gutter guards, I have yet to go through the drill of cleaning the gutters of any excessive debris like I did the first year. I still go up and periodically to check the gutters (once every 6-months) just as a precautionary measure. Also the periodic checks allows me to identify any pieces that have been damaged in the elements, I have the opportunity to replace the damaged piece before it becomes a bigger issue later. Overall, this was only a few hours worth of work on a single weekend day.
I pulled the following from a DIY website, which describes the many components to a typical aluminum gutter system that may be used around your home. Regardless of how it is setup, how it looks, or the material of the system, it's primary purpose is to keep water away from your home.
When we first moved in, we realized after the first few rain showers, that water was spilling over the edges of the gutters in multiple different locations around the house. After inspecting the gutters, I realized that they were filled with leaves and silt so water was not able to make it to the drop outlet to drain away from my house.
I gathered the following items: a ladder, heavy duty gloves, garbage bag and my garden hose with an affixed pistol grip spout. I'm not going to glorify this task, it's not fun nor is it an interesting project. Add on to the start of winter, cold weather in a wet working environment did not make for a good combination, so if you can, check your gutters when the climate is to your advantage.
Thus the project begins, start digging into gutter and remove all the excess leaves and silt that has accumulated since it's last cleaning, if ever, and place into the garbage bag. I ended up tying one end of the garbage bag to one of the higher rungs of the ladder so I have one hand to hold onto the structure while the free hand was pulling the obstruction out of the gutter.
Once I was able to remove most of the obstruction, I took the garden hose and adjusted the nozzle so that I would expel a high velocity of water. I started from the opposite end of the gutter or close to an end cap furthest from where the downspout is located and sprayed the remainder of the loose dirt out. You may need to bring back the garbage bag to pull more loose dirt once it starts accumulating again. For parts of the gutter that had two downspouts on either end, I would start in the middle or where it seemed to be the lowest point in between either drop outlet.
In the middle of this project, I realized that it is something I do not want to do again, or at least I would need to find a way to prolong having to do this again. I went to the local Home Improvement store and purchased snap-on Gutter Guards; they come in multiple types and colors that are available. I prefer the ones that are depicted below; they appear to far more durable and simpler to attach. They are a couple dollars per 3 feet segments. They do come in cartons, which also helps in saving a few extra dollars. These guards have an embedded mesh wiring in-between the plastic body which allows water to filter through while keeping debris out of the gutter system.
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| Image pulled from Home Depot Website, depicting Amerimax 3ft Snap-in Gutter Guard |
Thanks very much for your detailed tips on cleaning the gutters! Keeping them clog-free is definitely very important. If the downspouts get clogged, the gutters could fill with water until they seep into the house and cause quite a bit of damage. Heaven knows water damage is hard to repair! I'm quite busy myself with work, so I hire a professional service to do the cleaning for me once to twice a month.
ReplyDeleteMost of the time, downspouts get clogged if you have tree hanging over on the rain gutters because of all the leaves and twigs. I usually hire some professional to do it for me at least once a month, especially during summer and fall.
ReplyDeleteIt’s true that gutters are made to protect your home from water or snow, but it's also important to clean and maintain it. Knowing how to protect them can have you reassured that they would last.
ReplyDeleteChelsea @GutterHelmet.com
Yes i am totally agreed with this article and i just want say that this article is very nice and very informative article.I will make sure to be reading your blog more. You made a good point but I can't help but wonder, what about the other side? !!!!!!Thanks tallahassee rain gutters
ReplyDeleteProtect your home from clogged gutters with Gutter Guards. Our expert team provides professional installation.
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