Planning to clean and repair the gutters on your roof? Well, it might sound complicated, but you can carry it out effortlessly as long as you follow a few simple tips for this purpose. Here are some of those useful tips which will help you prepare for the gutter cleaning and repairing project, clean the gutters properly and repair the gutters correctly:
Prepare for gutter cleaning and repairing project
Prior to starting the job, you need to follow a few important steps. The following tips would help you get prepared for the task and execute it in an effective manner:
- In the course of work, you will require a number of tools and equipment. So, the first thing you have to do is to keep a trowel, a gutter sealant, a drill, a garden hose, a hose nozzle, a touch-up paint, a ladder, a pair of work gloves, two small buckets. Some wire hooks, and safety glasses handy.
- For a one-story home, a stepladder will be perfect. However, you might need an extension ladder if you are going to clean and repair the gutters of two-story homes.
- Use one bucket for keeping your tools as well as equipment and the other for dumping gutter debris. Do not forget to connect the buckets to the ladder with the help of wire hooks during your project.
- It is advised that you follow the weather forecast religiously before starting your project. This way, your task will become much easier as you will be able to know when the debris will get dried out within the gutters.
Clean the gutters properly
It is quite challenging as the debris might get decayed and release a stinking odor. The following tips will definitely help you in your way:
- Start from the downpipe and eliminate the large obstacles first. It will make your task simpler.
- Finer obstacles can be removed by washing out the gutter along with the length. In this case, begin from the opposite end of the downpipe.
- If you find that the downpipe is still clogged and is not draining the water, detach it from the pipe and clean out the strainers.
Repair the gutters correctly
Once you are done with removing the debris from the gutter, start repairing it. Check out the following tips that would help you restore the gutter correctly:
- The inclination of the gutter should be attuned in order to avoid the accumulation of debris. You can do this easily by isolating the hangers from the system. But do not do it in one go. Rather choose small sections and work on them one by one.
- Any damaged part of the gutter must be replaced. Make sure that you have added new parts for those which have been missing for long. At the same time, seal up the leaks present in the system with the sealant.
- Finally, use the touch-up paint to give the gutter a new look.
