CARE AND MAINTENANCE OF YOUR GUTTERS AND DOWNSPOUTS

Alright, I agree with you that making sure the rain gutters and downspouts on your home are clean is not an exciting topic, but it is a very necessary chore, especially if you are interested in preventing weather and water damage, and saving money! 
 
Fall is a good time to make sure those gutters are cleaned out and free of debris.  This will help ensure that they are free flowing and functioning properly when winter rain and snow come.  Gutters clogged with leaves, twigs, dirt and shingle granules become very heavy, especially when water runoff is added to the mixture.  Problems that result include back up of water damaging your roof and siding.  It can even result in your gutters tearing away from the house.  This can be an even greater problem if we experience an usually hard winter.  Resulting damage can be water backing up under your shingles causing ceiling damage and running down the interior walls of your home.  You don’t want to go there! 
 
How do you make sure your gutters are ready for winter?  Here are the basic steps:
 

1. Use a good ladder on firm footing in order to be able to look down into your gutters to see what needs to be cleared.
2. If the debris is dry, use an electric or gas powered blower to blow it out.  But be careful.  Those blowers can get heavy when you are holding them up high.  Don’t try to reach beyond the effective range of your ladder. 
3. If the debris is wet and packed down, try using a small garden shovel and bucket to scoop it out.  Try to get as much as possible, including the sediment in the bottom of the gutter.  For a really clean finish, try flushing the gutter out with a garden hose, but take care not to flush debris down the down spout.  It could get clogged and would be difficult to clean out.
4. If you see that your gutter is leaking at the joints, use a product like Flex Seal spray or liquid to coat the inside of the gutter joint.
   
5. Consider using plastic netting to keep debris out of your gutters.  There are some more elaborate systems that can be installed as well. 

 
See the before and after here…..