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How to Guide to Prevent Water Damage From Blocked Gutters

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Adrienne Reeves
How to Guide to Prevent Water Damage From Blocked Gutters

Due to cold weather, houses and homes up and down the United Kingdom are experiencing cracked, broken and damaged gutters and down pipes. Lingering snow, thawing, freezing and then more subsequent snow falls have turned roof situated snow into solid ice, and in many cases, sliding the ice towards the edge of the roof and placing excessive weight onto gutters. Many households are experiencing problems such as buckled guttering or sprained pipes and in many cases leaving the whole guttering system completely destroyed. Households are also experiencing major damp problems on the inside of walls and window sills culminating from water running down exterior walls instead of escaping correctly through downpipes, or problems resulting from blocked gutters by weeds, ice, leaves, nests or infestations.

Once the gutter becomes blocked, rainwater will escape directly out of the gutter and flowing onto the walls and windows of the home. Neglected guttering systems may have soil, debris, weeds, grass and plants growing in them which contributes to the problems. When water flows consistently from blocked guttering, mortar and bricks will become damaged causing excessive damp and mould to the walls of the house as the build up of moisture is absorbed. Cracked or burst down pipes and blocked drainage systems all play an active role in weathering of guttering. Gutters should be checked regularly before more expensive water damage to bricks and plaster occurs.

Clearing a Gutter

Clearing your gutters can be done without specialist knowledge. It is something that should be done regularly, and especially around the time of year that you will experience the Autumn shedding of leaves from nearby trees.

Five steps to clear your gutter:

1. Employ a dust sheet or something similar to catch any falling leaves and debris. Try not to go up the ladder with your hands too full. Bringing buckets and such like along with you to catch any debris will only serve to get in the way of putting your hands on the ladder.

2. Make sure you have a strong ladder and that it is securely leant against a supporting wall of the house, close by to the working area. Employing the services of a helper here is recommended, he or she can put their weight on the bottom rung of the ladder, securing it further.

3. Use a sturdy prodder or scraper such as a broom handle or extendable brush to remove debris from gutters. Try not to push any debris towards the downpipes as this will only serve to create a blockage. Make sure your scraper is not too unwieldy and don't be tempted to reach. Push the debris and leaves out over the edges of the gutter allowing to fall to the dust sheet below.

4. Move slowly and work on small areas at a time. Come down from the ladder and move along to the next area ensuring you work thoroughly, clearing the guttering in small progressive parts.

5. Use a small watering can or hosepipe if you have one with a decent enough length to reach to wash any debris out of the guttering and make sure you have got good drainage.

If you need the services of a good DRH Window & Gutter Cleaning please ensure they offer the complete service and that they pay attention to detail such as installation of gutter shingles and gutter guards to protect against damaged guttering caused by blockages in the future.

Free advice by Hull roofing specialists: East Yorkshire Roofing Services who offer the roofing services to our customers in Hull for over 25 years. All of our building services can be found on our Hull Roofers website and you can catch all of our building awards and success stories on our DRH Window & Gutter Cleaning.

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Adrienne Reeves
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