Let’s take a closer look at four of the most common gutter cleaning myths and debunk them once and for all.
Gutter cleaning should be part of every homeowner’s property maintenance checklist. However, unfortunately, many homeowners in New Zealand have a ‘set it and forget it’ attitude when it comes to their gutters. Some people fail to recognise, that just like every other part of your home, your gutters need regular care and maintenance too.
Failing to clean your gutters properly can lead to structural issues with your property, cause flooding, erosion to your garden and even foundational damage. Cleaning your gutters thoroughly will also ensure that you avoid expensive repairs and potential replacement of your gutter system in time. In order to ensure that your gutters are cleaned properly, it’s important that you follow the best practices and ignore some of the more common gutter cleaning myths out there.
Let’s take a closer look at four of the most common gutter cleaning myths and debunk them once and for all.
There’s no denying that just removing the larger, more obvious debris from your gutters would be easier. However, by only removing the leaves, twigs and other larger debris from your gutters, you are only doing half of the work and you could still encounter problems in the future with this approach.
When cleaning your gutters, you should inspect your system properly, checking for leaks and ensuring that any seams that are in place are intact. You should also flush your system thoroughly, including your downspouts, to check that your system is draining efficiently.
Cleaning gutters is certainly not a favourite task for most homeowners but you still need to do it more regularly than once a year. To keep your gutter system working properly, you should aim to carry out a thorough clean of your gutters at least once every six months. However, depending on the weather you experience in your area and where your home is located, you might need to clean more regularly.
For example, if you live in an area with a lot of trees, you will have more leaves blowing onto your roof, which will require cleaning more regularly. Similarly, if you live in an area that is susceptible to high winds, you should inspect your gutters every three months to be sure they are kept in working order.
One of the most common myths about gutter cleaning is that it is an easy, straightforward task that anyone can do. This is, quite simply, not true and it’s important to realise what you are getting yourself in for before you start. In New Zealand, more than 11,000 people fall from ladders at home in a single year resulting in all sorts of injuries.
Regardless of your age, fitness level or physical ability, climbing a ladder is dangerous, especially when carrying tools. Overreaching to access different sections of your gutters can easily end in you losing your balance and landing yourself in hospital.
Yes, it’s important that you clean your gutters but it is also important that you clean them at the right times of the year. If you choose to clean your gutters at certain times of the year, the task might be easier but your efforts will be much less effective. Generally speaking, the best times of the year to clean your gutters are at the end of spring and again at the beginning of autumn.
Following this schedule will mean that after the first clean, your gutters will be cleared of any debris that has accumulated through the autumn and winter. The second clean at the beginning of autumn will clear your gutters and get them for the autumn and winter ahead.
With more information available to us all than ever before, it’s important that you know what to believe and what to ignore. Ultimately, you need to remember that gutter cleaning is an important task that you should not overlook in order to protect your home and ensure that your gutter system lasts as long as possible.
As a general rule, you should thoroughly clean your gutters twice a year, once at the end of spring and again at the beginning of autumn. Be sure to take safety precautions and don’t take any unnecessary risks to get the job done quickly. Take care of your gutters properly and you can be sure that they will stand the test of time and continue to work efficiently for many years to come.
Please contact us and one of our friendly and knowledgeable staff will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
