There’s more to regular gutter maintenance than just cleaning. Taking regular care of your gutters keeps the water flowing and protects your home from water damage.
There’s more to regular gutter maintenance than just cleaning. Weather, falling limbs and debris break down your gutters over time, so you need to know how to maintain and repair them.
Steps
- Inspect your gutters during when it's raining (but not if there's lightning). Walk around your house and check how water flows into and from your gutters. Look carefully at the lengths, corners, joints, downspouts and drainage. Note any leaks, overspill or sagging.
- When the weather clears, use a sturdy ladder to inspect problem areas more closely. Check for debris, rust, cracking, holes and loose sections. Mark trouble spots on the outside of the gutter with a permanent marker so you know where to return for repairs.
- Repair leaking seams and holes. Scrub off rust and dirt, and then dry. Plug the leaks with weatherproof silicone sealant and let it dry.
- To keep rusting spots from corroding the gutter, clean and dry the area. Then use a grinding stone to scrape away the surface rust and clean the area with a rag. Coat the spot with sealant and let it dry. If a section is badly rusted, consider replacing the piece.
- Once you’ve fixed all the leaks, consider installing vinyl gutter guards to keep most debris out of your gutters. Vinyl guards keep out more debris than metal or plastic guards. To install gutter guards, lift the end of the roofing shingles slightly and slip the thin end of the screen between the roof and the shingles. Pull the guard back and snap it over the edge of the gutter. Check gutter guards every 6 months during routine gutter inspection.
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