The importance of maintaining your home’s gutters and downspouts should not be underestimated because they have a big job to do. They make up the drainage system for your Summerville roofing and are responsible for diverting thousands of gallons of water away from your house. Although it is easy to procrastinate the unpleasant job of cleaning your gutters, you really should not neglect this task for too long because you risk damaging the integrity of your home’s foundation.
It is a good idea to clean and inspect your home’s gutters and downspouts twice a year. First, you should perform this maintenance task in early spring, to remove debris that has accumulated during the winter. Second, clean and inspect your gutters in late fall to remove all of the wet leaves before the outdoor temperature dips below freezing. Neglected clumps of wet debris can eventually cause metal gutters to corrode and wooden gutters to rot.
Cleaning out your roof’s gutters is an effective way to identify problems like leaks, blockages and sagginess. After you clean out all of the debris, use your garden hose to run water into the gutters, starting at the high end. Look for water leaks, especially near the joints because this is where most leaks occur. These joints are the points where two sections of the gutter meet, and sometimes the seals need to be reinforced. An easy way to do this is by squeezing silicone sealant along the inside seams of the leaky joints.