How do I clean out the gutters on my patio and house?
As experienced patio builders, we get allot of questions in regards to maintaining patios.
Maintaining your gutters is a must especially in Brisbane with our raging summer thunder storms and our occasional days of showery weather over the coastal suburbs in autumn.
Keeping your gutters free from debris can prevent your patio gutters from overflowing and can stop water from leaking into your ceiling cavity. Dried out leaf litter can also be a fire hazard. Keeping your gutters clean can save you allot of heartache and money in the long run.
If you are finding your gutters appear to be overflowing and excess amounts of rain are making their way onto you patio or you have issues with your house leaking internally, don’t call a professional just yet. It might be time to get up on a ladder and take a look for yourself to see how clogged your gutters are.
Gutters can get clogged with leaves, twigs, toys and any other fragments that may have found their way into your gutters over a period of time.
Cleaning your gutters is a simple job and can help prevent other problems like blocked downpipes. You can do this job yourself with the most basic equipment.
Tools you will need:
- Ladder 2.4-3.9m in length
- Multipurpose Plastic Bucket
- Bannister Brush
- Gloves
- Ladderlimb
- Scraper
- Hose
- Gutter cleaning attachment
Step1 . Prepare your equipment
When working with ladders, you must be very conscience of your safety. Before beginning cleaning your gutters always take note of any power lines.
Another optional piece of equipment is a Ladder’s Little Helper, which holds your ladder steady and stops your ladder from scratching the gutter. You can buy this from most hardware outlets.
Step 2. Clear the gutters of rubbish and debris
With your gloves on and one hand on the ladder start to remove any rubbish and put it in the bucket which is hanging from the ladderlimb. Use your scraper if the debris is sticking or the gap between the gutter and tiles is too narrow. Once all of the bigger stuff is removed, you can give the gutter a good sweep with the brush. Keep moving your ladder along and emptying your bucket as you go.
Step 3. Clear out the smaller debris
Once you have removed all of the bigger debris you may find there is still some smaller stuff left behind. You can wait until the next rain or you can attach your hose to a gutter cleaning attachment and wash it away.
You will find that by cleaning your gutters regularly you will have fewer problems with any water overflowing onto your patio or into your home.
If your gutter is still overflowing after a clean then you may find your downpipe is blocked. The best way to clean your downpipe is to get a hose and a high pressured nozzle. Put the hose down the downpipe to clean it out. If you find it is still blocked you may have to dismantle it to see if there is anything clogged inside.
If all else fails, it may be time to call out an expert.
– Gordon
