Gutters are an essential component of your home’s roof system and ensure that water stays away from your home during rain. Your gutter system is more intricate than you may expect, and all the components need to work together for optimal performance.
Some disreputable builders tend to gloss over the gutters in favor of looks and style. However, a poorly functioning gutter system can cause significant water damage that will affect the structural integrity of your home and even your family’s health.
Tips for Taking Care of Your Gutter System
If you’re curious about how well your gutter system performs and what might be potential areas for improvement, here are our top do’s and don’ts of gutter guards and downspouts:
- Don’t use plastic for your gutters: DIY plastic gutters are cheap and easy to install, but they’re affected by sunlight and will break down quickly, causing leaks.
- Do use aluminum for your gutters: Aluminum is the industry standard for gutter systems due to its relatively low weight, resistance to corrosion, and natural immunity to rust. The higher the gauge of the aluminum gutter, the more durable it will be at the expense of weight.
- Do check your downspout distance from your foundation: According to most state regulations, gutters have to carry water at least five feet away from the foundation.
- Do check your number of downspouts: Each downspout can handle a certain volume of water per minute. If you have a larger roof, you’ll need more downspouts to handle the extra water. A good guideline is to have one downspout per 40 feet of gutter.
- Do install a gutter trough: If you have more than one roof section, you need to ensure that your gutter system carries water away from all the roofs. Gutter troughs will collect water from the higher rooflines and use downspouts to deliver this water to the lower gutter.
- Don’t let downspouts empty onto a roof: If you have a multi-tiered system, make sure that the downspout delivers water into a lower gutter and not directly onto the lower roof. Downspouts can generate a lot of water pressure, which can harm your roofing material and cause significant damage.
- Do clean your gutters before winter: Freezing temperatures can damage your gutters, especially if you have debris or water in the system.
- Do use seamless gutters: Professionally installed gutters look better than DIY jobs and tend to be higher performing as well. Seamless gutters collect water while maintaining your home’s look and style, making them an attractive option if you’re replacing your current gutters.
- Do install a gutter guard: A gutter guard is a device that sits above your gutter and catches debris while still letting water through. Gutter guards are much easier to clean than gutters and will protect your gutters from leaves and dirt.
If you’re not sure that your gutter system is working optimally, give Pro Gutter Cleaning Melbourne a call. Our team of gutter cleaning experts is ready to clean your gutters or provide advice about your system.
Now Pro Gutter Cleaning is available in Box Hill Victoria 3128.
Contact Us
Pro Gutter Cleaning Melbourne
50 Fitzgerald Rd, Hallam VIC 3803
(03) 9034 9094
Recent Comments