Cleaning Clogged Gutters and Downspouts

It may not seem like it, but water actually contributes considerably to the degradation of your home, which is why water collection components like gutters and downspouts are installed onto the edges of roofs. Without gutters and downspouts, water could end up dripping down the roof's edge and along the walls, and seeping through semi-permeable surfaces like untreated wood and walls.

However, gutters are also prone to the most annoying of roofing system glitches—gutter clogs. A clogged-up gutter would fill up easily and cause water to overflow. When water overflows, gutters don't serve their purpose anymore which is to draw rainwater away from the walls of your house to prevent it from soaking or permeating into the foundations of your property.

If you can manage it yourself, get a ladder and check debris or fallen leaves collecting in your gutters and remove them. Get a bucket (or a garbage bag) and a garden trowel, and slowly scoop up all the gunk. If you're confident enough to work on your roof, you could also

use a power hose and flush some water into your gutters to clear up the blockages in your downspouts.

Gutter cleaning is best undertaken at the tail end of autumn when the trees would have shed their leaves (or during the season itself for spot cleaning), and in the start of spring when seeding begins everywhere, even in the dirt cracks inside the gutters. Install gutter guards to reduce the need to clean your gutters frequently.