Clean Your Eavestroughs!

With winter just around the corner, many of us are climbing up on our roofs to clean out gutters. Taking care of this job does more than protect your gutters – your home’s #1 enemy is water, and gutters that are not working properly can compromise the structural integrity of your home and even endanger your family’s health with mould and mildew growth. Water must flow away from your house, and gutters play a vital role in that process.

• After they collect the water runoff from the roof, gutters should carry that water at least five feet away from the foundation. This job is performed by the downspouts.
• Keep in mind that there should be one downspout for every 40 feet of gutter.
• Many homes, particularly newer homes, have more than just one roof. For example, there might be a roof over a garage, a roof over a second floor and smaller roofs over a porch or kitchen. Eavestroughs should be installed along the edge of every roofline, with a downspout to drain away the collected water.
• A downspout from an upper roof should drain into a lower gutter, never onto a lower roof; this can cause premature deterioration of the shingles and roof deck.
• Professionally installed seamless eavestroughs are well worth the investment – DIY plastic gutters become brittle and can leak at the seams.
• Aluminum is the industry standard for gutters because it does not rust like steel and is weather-resistant, unlike plastic. The thicker the gauge of the metal, the more durable the gutter will be.
• Eavestroughing should be clear of debris before freezing temperatures set in. When debris and water caught in the trough freezes, it can overload the gutter and cause damage.

A good way to prevent clogging is by installing a gutter guard that sits over the gutter itself. This prevents leaves and debris from accumulating, and depending on the gutter guard, you may never have to clean your eaves again.

Courtesy: Homeservice Club of Canada