You probably don’t give much thought to the gutters on your building. They drain the water away from your roof, down the downspout, onto the ground below. They work simply — until they don’t. Gutters require cleaning twice a year to keep the trough open, free from leaves and tree branches, so water flows easily to the ground. Sometimes little living creatures get inside, things like bees, birds, even rats and frogs. If the water can’t flow freely down the downspout, water damage or freezing damage to your building can result.
Here are a few tips to make gutter cleaning safer. Approach your task with a certain amount of respect because falls can result in serious injury. You also can sustain injuries from debris, animals, or bacteria in the debris.
Gather this equipment before you start:
1. An aluminum ladder with four legs, able to hold a 5-gallon bucket for debris. (The sturdiest ladder is made of fiberglass but it is also the heaviest to maneuver. Wooden ladders are too unsteady).
2. Rubber-sole shoes are best at grabbing onto the roofing, preventing slips/falls.
3. Suede gloves protect your hands best from debris and bacteria from bird or squirrel droppings.
4. Plastic goggles to protect your eyes.
5. A plastic scoop. Metal scoops can damage your gutters, giving rust a foothold.
6. A garden hose to flush the gutter system.
7. A pistol-trigger hose nozzle.
Safety Tips.
Once you have gathered your equipment, we recommend that you:
- Tell someone you are going up to the roof on a ladder.
- Start gutter cleaning late morning or early afternoon after the sun has dried up any moisture (to prevent slipping).
- Check the area around your gutters for power line cables. Check any cables to make sure the wire insulation has not worn off. If it has, call an electrician to fix the cable. Do not attempt to fix it yourself.
- Make sure your ladder is fully open and the legs locked securely. Check all joints to make sure no screws or other fasteners are loose. Look for rust spots.
- Rake the leaves and branches off your roof or power wash them off before you start unclogging. Not only can the debris wash down into the gutters and re-clog them but they also can dam water into pools on your roof causing leaks around chimneys or vents.
- After you clear the gutters, take your hose and flush out the downspouts to make sure there are no clogs to prevent water from reaching the ground.
ADN is your resource for all roofing work in Connecticut. We also install seamless gutters and gutter guards and we can clean your gutters for you — all at a reasonable price.
