One of the most important elements of a complete roofing structure is the rain gutter system.
A properly functioning gutter system helps prevent damage and protects the investment you’ve made in your home. An improperly draining system can cause water backups, leading to damage of your home’s fascia, soffits, shingles, and siding. In addition, an improper drain system may erode soils and affect the stability of your home’s foundation.
In order to reduce the need for gutter repairs, your gutter and downspout system requires regular maintenance. This is particularly important for states such as Delaware and Pennsylvania which receive a substantial amount of rain throughout the year.
Spring Maintenance of Your Rain Gutters
Now that spring is here, it’s a great time to review the health of your rain gutters. If you have a lot of trees in your neighborhood, you may be surprised at how much debris can collect in your gutters!
One simple method to determine your gutter’s performance is to go outside during the rain and check your downspouts. If there’s little to no water emptying from downspouts, or if water is overflowing the gutter edges, your gutter or downspout may be clogged. This may indicate that it is full of debris. It’s best to do unclog gutters on a dry day, when leaves and small twigs can be removed by hand or with a handheld blower. Once you’ve removed the debris, gently flush your gutters with a garden hose or a gutter cleaning tool to confirm that you have improved the drainage process.
If your downspout is still clogged, work to loosen debris from the bottom of the downspout. You might be able to clear the clog with water pressure: by running a garden hose up into the spout from the bottom. If this doesn’t work, try running a plumber’s snake up the spout. If none of these actions clear your downspout, you may need to remove it to locate the cause of the clog.
While you are removing debris, remember to examine your gutters for corrosion, holes, sagging and leaking areas. You’ll also want to look for missing, loose or bent fasteners.
Gutters may also not operate well if a section is sagging. Sagging gutters are often the result of loose fasteners—which are simple to replace or tighten. In addition, if your rain gutter has a negative slope, away from the downspout, gutter repairs will be required to enable the system to drain properly.
Need Gutters Repaired or Replaced?
If you gutters need more than seasonal cleaning, are damaged and require repairs or replacement, you will need to contact your local roofing contractor for help.
All Roofing Solutions is here to assist all your roofing & gutter needs! With nearly 20 years of experience installing and repairing roofs/gutters all over Delaware and Pennsylvania, we have the skill and know-how to handle all types of projects, large and small, and We have been replacing, repairing, and inspecting roofs in the residential and commercial sectors for nearly 20 years and pride ourselves with excellent workmanship and great customer service!
To schedule your free consultation, call 302-725-ROOF (7663) in Delaware or 610-551-ROOF (7663) in Pennsylvania. And don’t forget to ask about our discounts!