Failing to maintain your gutters and downpipes is something you certainly do not want.

Gutters and downpipes that go unattended can lead to a number of issues including leaks and damage to your home or business. Luckily, keeping your gutters and downpipes clean and maintained doesn’t have to be a draining affair. With a little bit of planning and time management, you can keep them clean and secure for the foreseeable future.

Maintaining your gutters

The biggest issue with gutters these days is blockage. Strong winds or seasonal changes cause trees to lose a substantial amount of their leaves. And while they’ll regrow some fresh new leaves, their dead ones can usually find their way into gutters.

One of the best defences against leaves, twigs and other debris clogging up your gutters is to invest in gutter guards. Gutter guards are a plastic mesh which fits into your gutter and stops the debris that is responsible for clogging. But before you invest in gutter guards - if you haven’t already - you must make sure to clean out your gutters to clear out any current debris.

Check the entire perimeter of your gutters for debris and get rid of it. Using a hose and forcing the debris down into your downpipe is something you should never do. This is likely to just cause clogging in your downpipe. All the same, when removing the debris by hand, make sure you’re pushing the debris away from the entrance to your downpipe. Wear gloves and throw all the debris into a bag and bin it.

Another couple of things to do before getting gutter guards is to search for any leaks and corrosion. If you only have pinhole leaks, this can usually be fixed with some roof sealant. However, if your leaks are major it’s best to hire a professional. Gutter corrosion isn’t as big of an issue as it used to be due to most gutters now being made of hard plastic, however if you still have a metallic gutter, corrosion is a potential issue. Pooling water or excessive moisture can lead to corrosion. If you spot any, call a professional to repair/replace those parts.

After all of this, you should be good to install a gutter guard which will make maintenance a much simpler task. If you choose not to use a gutter guard, then it’s imperative that you inspect your gutter every few months to see if any blockage-causing debris has made its way in there.

Finally, keep an eye on your gutter straps. If any of them have loosened, be sure to re-nail them. If any of the straps have been damaged or broken, replace them as soon as possible.

Maintaining your downpipes

Much like gutters, the biggest issue for downpipes is blockage. Unlike gutters, however, you shouldn’t encounter issues such as corrosion - at the very least it’ll be less likely. With downpipes, the two chief areas where blockage typically occurs are the shoe of the downpipe and the swan neck of the downpipe.

The shoe of the downpipe is at the bottom where the downpipe is usually slightly angled. The swan neck (shown to the right) refers to the point at the top of the downpipe where typically the pipe will bend to run underneath the overhang of the roof and then bend again to run down the outside wall of the building. Because of the sharp angles that swan necks can have, it is an area vulnerable to blockage.

You can either clean a downpipe from the top or disassemble the parts you think the blockage is occurring and clean them out, the latter option being more effective. Whichever method you choose, make sure you either have a bucket or tray situated at the bottom of your downpipe or underneath the part you’re cleaning out.

To test whether the blockage has been taken care of, simply run water down the downpipe (once you’ve reassembled it) and see if it flows with ease. Also check each section of your downpipe to see how well-sealed they are. If there seem to be any sealing problems, this could mean they need replacement.

Roo Roofing offer a number of services which include gutter repairs/replacements, gutter guard installation, and downpipe replacements and installation. If you’d like to find out more, call us on 1300 734 148 or contact us online.

* Image source: DolfinDan