As much as you value your roof for protecting you and your home against a wide variety of elements, it is equally important that you pay special attention to your roofing system?s gutters. Although these long overhangs are not the best when it comes to aesthetics, they are essential for?channeling?excess water away from your home. In short, they play a critical role in protecting the structural integrity of your house. However, in order for your roof?s drainage system to work properly, gutters should be kept in top condition and should be free of holes, clogs, sags and warps.
Fortunately, keeping your gutters in shape is something you can do on your own. With proper upkeep and by addressing problems immediately, you can prevent expensive future repairs and at the same time add length to your gutters? service life. Here is a list of some of the most common gutter problems and how you can address them on your own.
Obstructed Gutters
Obstructed gutters is one of the most common problems home-owners encounter with their roof?s drainage system. This happen when leaves, twigs and other materials build-up inside your gutters and down spouts. If left unattended, both the gutters and down spouts become useless as they cannot properly channel water away from your home. Thus, excess water add weight to the system, making it sag or pull away from your home?s fascia.
To address this problem, clean your gutters and down spouts at least twice a year, especially if there are trees near your house. Remove muck by hand and use a spade to remove the remaining dirt. Once all the build-up are removed, flush your gutters with a garden hose to ensure that water is flowing properly. To prevent leaves and other materials from accumulating in your gutters, outfit them with gutter covers. There are numerous kinds of gutter covers available including clip-on grates, mesh screens and porous foams. You can purchase them from your local home improvement store and apply them yourself.
Leaks, Holes and Rotted Gutters
The joints that connect your gutters are susceptible to leaks and holes, which in turn can affect the integrity of the gutters themselves. You can easily address this issue by caulking the joints or seams using a gutter sealant. Larger holes, however, should be patched up to prevent further damage. You can easily purchase a patching kit at your local hardware or create ones from excess metal flashing.
If parts of your gutters have already corroded due to standing paddles of water, what you should do is to wash and dry the corroded areas to remove dirt. Sand the area until the metal is apparent, then cut a patch from aluminium, galvanized metal or copper flashing several inches longer than the corroded sections. If the rotting occurred in the corners, you may have to bend the patches accordingly so they will conform to the shape of the corners. Then, spread a thick layer of cement coating onto the damaged areas using a putty knife, then firmly press down the patches in place.
Sagging and Pulled Gutters
If some of your gutters are starting to sag or are pulling away from your house, it is likely that the hangers are already loose or have deteriorated. Check the hangers immediately and tighten them in place if they are loose. However, if they have already deteriorated, you need to change them with new ones to provide the right support for the entire weight of the gutters. You can purchase hangers and fasteners without necessarily spending a fortune and you can integrate them on your own to save on labor costs.
Gutters have Wrong Pitch
In order for your gutters to funnel excess water properly into the down spouts, they should have have at least a slope that is a quarter inch for every 10 feet. If your gutters is not pitched properly, water can eventually form pools in your gutters and roof, which can cause corrosion or rotting. To correct this, you need to either push the gutters up by bending the hangers or take a section of the gutters down then rehang them.
Down Spouts?Channeling?Excess Water too Close to the Foundation
Down spouts should extend several feet away from your house. If not, they will channel water directly to your basement. If your down spouts are integrated closely to the foundation, you can remedy this by applying gutter extensions at the end of the down spouts so that excess water will go beyond your home?s foundation.
Article penned by one of the regular contributors of Home Coatings, a company in the UK that specializes in wall and roof protection. The Wall and Roof Coatings by HomeCoatings are among the best solutions available for home-owners throughout the UK to protect their properties against inclement weather and other harsh elements.
?License: Creative Commons?image source
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Source: http://olgerfallaspainting.com/fixes-gutter-problems/
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