With summer upon us, you want your home’s gutters to be in the best working order possible. Summer is one of the most beautiful times of the year with its amazing weather, but don’t forget about those summer showers. 

Are your home’s gutters ready for summer?

If your home’s gutters aren’t working properly, then you could be led down an expensive path of home repairs. The role gutters have is an essential one. They collect water from rain or snow that lands on your home’s roof and direct it away from the house’s structure. 

Without working gutters, this water could lead to mold or mildew growth, damages to doors, siding, and windows, and could cause serious foundation and flooding problems. 

Here’s our list of the key steps to take to prepare your house’s gutters for the summer. 

Check for Clogs

One of the first things you can do is step up on a ladder and examine the gutters for any clogs. When you place your ladder on the ground, be sure it’s on top of a stable area and you have someone nearby to spot you. Wear gloves and bring two buckets with you to hang on either end of the ladder. 

One bucket should have your tools in it and the other bucket is for filling with debris. If you discover leaves, twigs, mud, and other debris inside your gutters, be sure to grab everything you can with your hands. Use a gutter scraper tool to remove the rest. 

All of this build-up can create major clogs in the gutters but is easy to remove by hand. 

Flush the Gutters

Once you’ve removed all of the debris, you should then flush the gutters. You can flush them by taking your garden hose and running it down the gutters. If the gutters are cleaned out, the water should flow down into the downspout, and away from the house. 

If you don’t see the water traveling as explained above, then this means there might still be an issue within the system. The next step is to continue your investigation until you’re able to flush water through and out the gutters without error. 

Look for Standing Water

After flushing the gutters, do you notice any standing water? Is the water flowing but in an extremely slow manner? If you’ve removed all of the debris, but the water isn’t flowing as it should, then there could be a problem with the slope angle of the gutters.

Gutters will need to be hung at a specific angle in order for the water to move through them with ease. To correct this issue, you can adjust the slope of your gutters by adjusting the gutter hangers or spikes. Give it a few different tries and see if you can get the water to flow properly after some adjustments. 

Clear the Downspouts 

The top section of the gutters isn’t the only part that can become clogged. If you notice the water flowing down the gutters well but then never coming out the downspout or coming out slowly, then you’ll want to check the downspout for blockage.

The downspout is the bottom section of the gutter that rests just above the ground. You can remove this piece of the gutter entirely and inspect it. Take your garden hose and run some water through it to flush out whatever might be causing the clog. 

You can also use your hand with a glove to remove and debris inside it. 

Create a Cleaning Routine

After completing all of these tasks, your gutters should be up and running like new. Do keep in mind, though, that they won’t stay like this forever. You’ll need to inspect them and clean them on a regular basis to ensure no more debris blocks the water flow. 

It’s ideal to create a cleaning schedule for your gutters and stick to it. You might want to clean your gutters at least twice a year to keep them in good health. If you live in an area with a lot of trees hovering your home, however, you might need to clean them more often. 

Find a cleaning schedule that works well for you and then be sure to head out each time it’s due and clean them well. 

Call for Professional Help

Your home’s gutters play an important role in home safety and health. You’ll want to have the gutters cleaned well and this might take some help from the professionals. Climbing up on a ladder to address issues with the gutters can be done, but it’s also quite dangerous.

A professional will get the job done without having you climb up to the roof. If you’ve completed all of these cleaning tasks and inspection checks on the gutters and you still have problems, then this is another great reason to call for professional help.

Don’t hesitate to give professional gutter cleaners a call who’ll ensure they’re thoroughly cleaned and working as they should.

Are Your Gutters Ready for Summer? 

When’s the last time you checked on your home’s gutters? Do you know if they’re ready for summer? Use this guide above and follow the steps listed to ensure your gutters are clean and in good working condition for the summer months to come.

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