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Did you know that your gutters and downspouts divert 1000s of gallons of water from your roof, foundation and outside walls every year??? In doing so, they protect your roof, exterior walls and foundations from extensive water damage. Checking your gutters and downspouts every spring before the rainy season and every fall before the snows, can save you time and money.
Start by checking for debris, rust and damage. A good trick to rake out debris is attaching an L bracket to the end of a broom handle. You can also use your hose to wash debris towards the down spout. If debris is caught in the downspout, high water pressure will usually dislodge it. If not, you can try a plumber's snake. If that stubborn clog still won't budge you may have to disassemble the downspout. Although this is not difficult you may want to get someone to help you. Use screen guards to help prevent debris build up, just make sure to clean them off from time to time.
Make sure your gutters are not sagging and that they angle towards the downspouts. If you find sags, look for loose hangers, use pliers and bend back into place. Still sagging? Add another hanger.
If you find rust in your gutters, scrape them clean using a wire brush, then apply several thin coats of roofing cement. This can prevent the spread of rust and strengthen the remaining metal surface. If you are catching the rust too late and a hole has already formed, get a piece of roof flashing cut to 1 inch larger than the rusted area. After throughly scrubbing the area with a wire brush, apply roofing cement to the flashing and press into place. Apply a top coat of roofing cement to further insure against leaking.
Does water puddle under your downspouts? Installing a splash block is an easy way to direct the water away from your foundation. Pile gravel up against the house to make a slight grade away from the house. Place your splash block on top of the gravel and test with a cup of water to be sure there is sufficient tilt away from the house. You can also install a perforated roll-up hose, which stays in a curled up position untill filled with water. It then rools itself out like a party noisemaker and sends water several feet from the house.
As you can see, these are easy fixes to potentially expensive problems. Save yourself time and money by performing a bi- annual checkup on your gutters and downspouts.
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