Gutter Cleaning Guide – The Who, What, When, Why, & How

Gutter Cleaning Guide – The Who, What, When, Why, & How

Gutters are mundane, boring things that we tend to forget until something is wrong. Plus, gutter cleaning is a dreaded task no one looks forward to. But it can be a simple DIY task that anyone can do, but there are a few things to always keep in mind.

Let's take a look at all the things you need to know about gutter cleaning: safety, when to clean, what to look for, and when to call a professional gutter cleaning company.

Without further ado, let's get started.

Gutter Cleaning – What?

We all know what the guttering system around our roof does; it catches the rain that comes off our roof and safely channels that water to a specific location. There are many places the gutter might drain, for example, a soakaway drain, the city's sewerage, a water collection system for personal use, or just to the ground, a safe distance from our foundations.

Gutter Cleaning – Why?

Now we have a better idea of gutters; the question is, why do you need to clean and maintain your gutters? If you don't clean your gutters, they will eventually get clogged with leaves, twigs and other miscellaneous debris. When this happens, instead of the water being gracefully led away from your property, quite the opposite will happen. And, all that water will find the quickest escape route from your gutters.

That can be a lot of water. So let's do the maths. For example, the average yearly rainfall in Sydney is 1175mm, and the average house in Australia is 186.3 square metres; for every square metre of surface area, 1 millimetre of rainfall will produce 1 litre of water. So 186x1175 equals 218,902.5; that's a massive 218,902.5 litres of water every year.

So, where will all that water go if your gutters are clogged? Well, it can go everywhere, into your roof space, into your walls, and it will puddle around the base of your walls, slowly seeping into your foundations. With time, trapped water will produce mould and rot, inviting insects and other rodents. Plus, it can cause foundations to be washed away, which will cause significant structural issues.

But don't worry; all is not lost; there is light at the end of the tunnel, but you need to keep reading…

Gutter Cleaning – When?

Now we've established that we must clean our gutters, the next logical question could be, when and how often should they be cleaned? Generally speaking, at least twice a year. Once in the spring and again at the end of fall before the heavy rains start, but it depends on many factors; for example, are there trees overhanging your roof, or are there pine trees or eucalyptus trees nearby? If so, it can increase the times you'll need your gutters cleaned annually.

Also, if you notice tell-tale signs that your gutters are blocked, you'll want an extra clean. What are these signs?

• If they drip or overflow during an average rainfall

• If you see streaks on your walls, below your gutters

• If you see a lot of birds or other animals nesting or bathing in your guttering

• Pools of water at the base of your walls

• Plants growing in your gutters

• Gutters are beginning to sag

If you see any of these symptoms, you must clean your gutters ASAP.

Gutter Cleaning – How?

As already mentioned, gutter cleaning isn't a complicated job. But it is a task that needs the utmost care. So you'll probably be asking yourself why gutter cleaning needs care. Care, as it can be a dangerous job. The National Coronial Information System (NCIS) reports that, on average, 34 people die yearly in household maintenance tasks, and 71.4% are fall related. The higher you are when you fall, the worse the outcome can be, so it's no wonder that 54 per cent of those deaths are roof or gutter maintenance related.

Sorry for the doom and gloom; we want you to know the dangers before cleaning your gutters.

So, the first part of the 'How' is how to clean your gutters safely.

To clean gutters, you need to spend extended periods on a ladder, so how can we safely work on a ladder? The answer is preparation.

Ladder safety:

• Inspect the ladder and its placement before climbing up

• Always place the ladder on a firm, level and dry base

• Extension ladders must always be placed at a 75º angle (for every 4 meters up, 1 meter away from the wall)

• You must always maintain 3 points of contact with the ladder. That includes hands and feet only

• Stay near the middle of the ladder

• Never overreach or lean to one side of the ladder

• Never load more than the maximum permitted weight of the ladder

• Never have more than one person on the ladder at any given moment

Personal protective equipment (PPE)

• eye protection

• non-slip shoes

• waterproof clothing

• protective waterproof gloves

When possible, use ladder brackets, roof anchor points and a safety harness; these types of safety equipment are an investment worth their weight in gold.

Step two, now we know how to be up a ladder safely and what PPE is needed, we can move on to the next step, cleaning the gutters.

Gutter cleaning

First and foremost, what do you want to do with the debris you need to remove from the gutter?

Depending on your choice, you'll need to do more or less cleaning afterwards.

The two main options are a bucket or the drop and clean method. As always, there are always pros and cons to each option.

Bucket:

Pros:

• There is less cleaning needed once you finish cleaning your gutters

Cons:

• It can be heavy and challenging to keep in place while you clean your gutters

If you choose to use a bucket, it's recommendable to use a hook and rope to lift and lower the bucket. Plus, look into getting a bucket support for your ladder.

Drop and clean:

Pros:

• No need to struggle with a bucket

Cons:

• You'll have a lot more to clean up

• It can cause slip hazards
  

Cleaning

Once you decide on your preference and you're up your ladder, the real fun begins.

NOTE: If the guttering is connected to some water collection system, you might want to disconnect it while cleaning out the gutters. Otherwise, you'll collect a lot of dirty water.

Remove the thicker gunk and debris from your gutters. Again, you will need waterproof work gloves or a PLASTIC scoop. A plastic water bottle can easily be converted into a gutter scoop by cutting off the bottom. But be careful; older gutters can become brittle. Do your best to remove as much waste from the gutter before moving on to the next step.

Move your ladder as often as needed, don't be tempted to lean to reach further than needed.

Once you've removed most of the debris in your gutters, you'll need to rinse it with water. The easiest way is to use a garden hose, but buckets of water can be used at a push.

Flush the guttering with clean water, starting from the furthest point away from the downpipe or the highest part of the slop. Now is the ideal time to check for sagging or loose guttering.

Downpipe

The downpipe is the exit of the gutter. While flushing out the gutter, you should have noticed how the water flowed out of the downpipe; if you didn't, there must be a blockage.

In case of a blockage, the first step is to push a garden hose up the downpipe. Then, if you're lucky, the water pressure will loosen the debris and remove the blockage. If this doesn't work, the next step would be to use a drain snake. Sometimes, not even that will help, and you'll need to dismount the downpipe to remove the blockage; this will probably be a good time to call a professional plumber.

Cleanup

Once your gutters look clean, you'll need to start the ground-level cleaning. We won't discuss this in detail as there is no real secret. But I recommend using the debris from your gutters as compost for your garden; it works great.

Gutter Cleaning – Maintenance

Once the gutters have been cleaned, take a second look at your guttering. Are there any cracks? Even the most minor crack can quickly become a problem! Is there any sagging? A loose piece of pipe or joints? Did water leak from somewhere you didn't expect?

How about your roof? See any loose tiles? Holes? Debris? Or does anything else look out of place?

We won't go into repairing gutters or roofs in this article, as there are many possible scenarios. Still, we will try to cover it later in another article or even a series of articles.

But whatever problem you notice, get it sorted ASAP!

Gutter Cleaning – Who?

After reading this article, you may decide you're not the right person for the job. And there is no shame in that; it's better to hire a professional gutter cleaner than risk a fall.

Gutter cleaners can save you time, money, headaches and personal injury.

Why? Because professional gutter cleaners do this on a regular basis, they have the experience, training and all the tools needed. So they can do the job quickly and safely.

They can save you money in the long run, as they will see minor problems that can be fixed before you have a significant problem.

Plus, some gutter cleaners offer extra services, like a free reminder service, roof inspection and no-mess guarantees. Sometimes it's just worth getting a professional and enjoying your weekend doing something other than gutter cleaning.