Ah, spring is coming and very quickly. Spring is a great time to add new paint, fresh décor, or a remodeling project to your list of to-dos. One item you should not neglect is rain gutters. “Rain gutters?” you say. “How mundane.” Yes, keeping up with regular maintenance on your rain gutter is not particularly glamorous, but clogged gutters can cause problems.
Take a look at the gutters on your house. Are they pulling away from your roof? Is the gutter full of detritus? A cluttered gutter can cause pooling near your foundation, which causes leaks and damage. If your gutters are pulling away from your roof, you might find that extensive roof and siding repair should is now on your list. Don’t make leaking and damaged gutters a cause to find an insurance solution for your SLC, UT, home.
Steps for Keeping Gutters in Good Repair
Being proactive is always best and will keep you from looking into insurance solutions for SLC, UT. These tips are important maintenance tips.
Clogged Gutters.
A clogged gutter can cause havoc to your home. If you skip this task, you may cause damage to your home. Clogged gutters can lead to water and weight overload. Overloaded gutters, in turn, causes stress to the roof, siding, and gutter supports. Blocked gutters lead to leaks that may result in rot and winter ice dams.
You can remove debris in your gutters by hand. It’s a messy job, but if you use a wire brush and use a ladder, wear gloves, and have your garden hose at hand, the job will be easier. Use the wire brush to scrub away at stubborn accumulations that happened over the winter. After you have loosened the debris in your gutters, wash away the gunk by shooting water down your gutters.
Holes in Your Gutters
As you clean your gutters, check for holes or gaps. You will need sheet metal, metal snips, roofing cement, a large putty knife, and gutter caulk. If you find holes in our gutters, snip a piece of sheet metal to fit over the hole. Spread roofing cement around the edges of the hole. Gently ben the sheet metal and press into the roofing cement. Coat the patch with more cement and let dry.
For any gaps that happen in the joints of our gutters, use gutter caulk and seal completely. Let the caulk dry.
Rusty Spots
Rusty spots can cause havoc to your rain gutters. One little rust spot can turn into a big rust spot that can turn into a hole. You can fix those rusty spots by using a wire brush, roofing cement, and a putty knife. With the wire brush in hand, scape away the rust. Use the putty knife to apply a thin coat of roofing cement.
Detached Gutter
You can see a gutter that is detached away from your house. It is a great idea to get a detached gutter placed back in its spot to avoid using insurance solutions in SLC, UT, to replace the shingles on your roof due to water getting under the shingles. You will need sheet metal screws, a screwdriver, and U-shaped brackets.
Secure the gutter with the U-shaped brackets and short sheet metal screws. It’s easy, and you can do it quickly. Fixing a detached gutter will save you money and headaches in the long run.
Missing Downspout
Missing downspouts can cause flooding next to your foundation. To prevent this flooding, you will need a fine-tooth hacksaw, fil, metal downspout section, gutter caulk, U-shaped brackets, screws, and a screwdriver.
Measure the section that needs to be replaced. Using a hacksaw, cut the section that needs a downspout. File the edges and secure with the U-shaped brackets and the screws. Seal the seam with gutter caulk.
Screens and Strainers
To apply screens and strainers to your rain gutters, you will need wire-cage strainers, scissors, screen guards measured to the width of your gutters.
Place the strainer material above the downspout connection. Cut the length of the screen to fit your gutters. Slip the inner edge of the guard under the first line of shingles. Bend the other edge in place under the lip of the gutter.
After you have repaired your gutters, stand back, smile, and be happy that you won’t have to call insurance solutions in SLC, UT, to replace your roof, siding or shingles.
