As lock down slowly eases, and families come together. We though it would a good idea to tell you how to clean your gutters.
Since we are allowed to now social distance in groups of six. This gave us an idea đ With more people seeing each other this allows more hands on deck, if you fancy trying to maintain your gutters yourself.
Here at Sheffield Gutter Service we are always here to help so here are some hints & tips to help prevent leaking or blocked gutters.
Our Gutter cleans from this week đ
Gutter cleaning helps to prevent blockages and leakages. If not maintained it can become the perfect home for pests such as nesting birds and bees. Although we love birds we prefer them in a tree đ That’s why maintenance is key đ
If you want to help prevent this scenario, we’ve put together a few hints and tips using household equipment.
We only use industrial gutter cleaning machinery but not everyone have these at home !
Before cleaning your gutters its key to maintain safety
- Get a family member to hold the ladders to make sure your safe !
- A step ladder can be ideal for a single-story structure but an extension ladder is a must for a two-story or taller facility preferably one with a wide base.
- Use a bucket to collect gutter debris. Make sure to secure the bucket with a lanyard, either on the shelf of the ladder or the hook.
- Â A trowel can be used to scooped out the leaf and soil debris preferably in to the bucket.
- Use a garden hose with a pistol-grip trigger spray nozzle. This allows you to adjust the water pressure with the use of just one hand. Allowing you to leak test your gutter and ensure its blockage free
Be Safe, Be Aware !
- Scraping the bottom of a steel gutter can cause rust. However, if the gutter has already rusted this can speed the process.
- Be aware of falling debris for those helping you, as we don’t want any injuries.
- Wear Gloves! protecting hands against dirt, cuts, rotting leaf debris that often ridden with bacteria from bird, pigeon and squirrel droppings.
- Eye protection is key. As we don’t want any bacteria or debris getting in your eyes.
- Ensure you do a visual inspection of the electrical cables. If any cables appear damaged contact a professional electrical contractor to fix this. Do not attempt to repair this yourself.
- If aerial cables are running up along the gutters or roof. This can catch debris, eventually leading to blockages. if possible clip them out of the way below or on the roof tile lips.
Is there Debris on Your Roof ?
If this is not removed you will be climbing up those ladder again. Otherwise, when it rains again all the debris will go back into the clean gutter. Therefore, is necessary rake or power wash all debris off the roof first. If this is required wear rubber soled shoes we don’t want any falls or slips. The best time of day is the morning after a sunny day when the heat and soaked up most of the moisture.
When to maintain your gutter ?
There is a lot of factors that effect how often the guttering on your home will need cleaning out.
- Proximity to trees – falling leaves, seed cases and twigs
- Type of guttering – certain types are guttering profiles are more prone to clogging up
- Slope, size and angle of your roof – large roofs shed larger amounts of rain water and thus more debris is carried in to your guttering
- Age of your home – Older period properties tend to have older guttering, like everything, unfortunately its condition deteriorates over time
As a general rule of thumb would recommend twice a year. Once in the Autumn and once in summer. This helps to prevent any clogging, improves drainage, slows corrosion and prevents potential damage to your home.
Should you invest in Gutter Guards
High quality gutter guard’s can help reduce the need for regular cleaning gutters. Additionally, consider the manufacturerâs claims before purchasing as many make promises that canât be delivered. Alternatively contact us, we’d be happy to give you our expert opinion .đ
For more great hints & tips head over to our website and feel free to check out our services & competitive prices here.
If this all sounds a bit to much like hard work and you don’t like the look of those old dodgy step ladders at the back of the garage or garden shed…
Never fear Sheffield Gutter Service is here!
We don’t just do gutter cleaning, we also offer conservatory cleaning, Upvc restoration, soffit and fascia cleaning, driveway and patio pressure washing, just to mention a few.
Visit www.SheffieldGutterServices.co.uk to find out more