Clean gutters are important, not just for aesthetics, but also for ensuring no damage to your property occurs. Gutter cleaning is not a difficult job in essence but accessing the gutters safely and operating equipment can be.
Because gutters are installed typically in positions that are hard to see in, they are forgotten about. This is where problems start to arise, but only become evident when it’s too late.
There are some ways to ensure your gutters stay clean throughout the year.
How to ensure your gutters are clean?
In our experience, we have been called out to repair many gutters and downpipes that could have been avoided if they were regularly cleaned. Depending on the amount of rainfall, it could take a long time for water to overflow the edges of the gutters.
Gutters are installed with a fall included. This means that they will lean slightly towards the downpipe, so the water can drain out of the gutters. However, when debris and vegetation start to grow inside (especially near the stop ends), they add weight to the gutters.
The additional weight pulls down on the gutter hangars and over time they start to sag. This in turn affects the gutter fall. Resulting in either water draining away from the downpipe, or damages to the downpipe gutter joint.
Here are three simple tips to ensure your gutters stay clear
1 - Observe The Environment
This might not sound like something that should be taken into consideration, but it does have an impact. Let us look at some examples of how the environment can impact your gutters.
Overhanging branches from nearby trees
Types of trees in the vicinity and direction of wind
Amount of exposure to sunlight
Neighbouring buildings and properties
This list is not exhaustive, but you get an idea of the types of environmental factors that affect gutters and downpipes. To give a clearer understanding, I will elaborate on each point a bit.
Overhanging Branches
Branches that overhang gutter runs, will inevitably cause an issue as they will restrict water flow and create debris build up. In addition to debris build up, the branches will increase in weight as they grown.
This will impact the gutters as they will cause the hangars to sag, resulting in misalignment of the gutter fall.
Types of trees in the vicinity
Certain trees release large amounts of leaves or fibres. These leaves and fibres may blow across your property and collect in various corners and crevasses. When this happens, water flow is restricted, and issues start to arise.
Always check which types of trees are present in the vicinity and be aware of the wind direction. If your property is upwind of the trees, there is a higher potential of debris collection and build up in your gutters.
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Amount of exposure to sunlight
Roofing areas and gutters that have minimal exposure to direct sunlight, are more susceptible to moss and growth build up. As these areas are constantly moist, the risk of blockages is higher than surfaces with more direct sunlight.
These moist surfaces not only cause debris build up, but they also keep sealant areas moist. These constantly moist surfaces accelerate deterioration and material degradation. Especially cast and steel gutters.
Neighbouring buildings and properties
Properties and buildings that neighbour yours can also lead to issues with your gutters. For example, poorly maintained neighbouring roofs and gutters can lead to overflowing water onto your roof.
Or even worse, running onto your roof with no chance of draining away. As important as it is for effective building property maintenance, one does not control how neighbouring properties are maintained.
2 - Using The Right Equipment
There are various types of equipment to aid in gutter cleaning. Nowadays, there are gutter cleaning adaptors that can be attached to extending poles. These are great for cleaning gutters from a safe distance.
However, the adaptors are designs to fix specific gutter profiles. So, it is important to know which gutter fitting to use on your gutters. There are some drawbacks to using these gutter cleaning adaptors if you use them incorrectly.
If you are underneath the gutters when you use the adaptors, there is the risk of dirty water and debris overflowing and onto your person. Ideally, you want to be level with the gutter so you can see what you are doing.
Remember if you start furthest away from your collection or draining point, the water and debris will overflow. This will create unnecessary cleaning on your part and can be avoided with correct techniques.
Can I Do It Myself?
Yes, you can, but there is a reason professionals are called out. Doing it yourself does require some effort and due diligence. You will need some equipment of your own, specifically a ladder long enough to reach your gutters.
There are articulating adapters that can be operated from the ground, but from experience, being the same level is more effective and safer.
Utilizing water pressure systems for cleaning and draining also takes some “know how” and experience. The last thing you want to do is to over pressure and blast water all over your property.
In addition to this, applying water pressure to a blocked area is not always the correct approach. Ideally you want to remove as much of the blockages as you can before forcing water through it.
3 - Regular Gutter Checks
Specialist Access Technicians recommend annual gutter checks. This ensures that your gutters are always operating at the optimum level. Any signs of blockages or build ups can be addressed immediately.
For smaller properties such as bungalows, you could quite easily do yourself. However, for high level gutter cleaning, especially tenement gutter cleaning, it is recommended that you call in specialists to undertake gutter cleaning projects.
Access to these types of properties requires specialist planning and techniques.
Cost Effective Solutions For Clean Gutters
The small cost of annual gutter inspections far outweighs the cost of heavy financial impacts of water damage and rot dur to neglected gutters.
When the damage from gutters becomes evident, there is often not just financial setbacks associated with it. Most times, there are impacts on daily activities and living conditions. These are typically the biggest issues with water damage.
Having your gutters regularly checked and cleared if necessary, will save you thousands and unnecessary stress and worry.
Specialist Access Technicians offer all types of gutter works to our clients. Get in touch with us today and let us give you peace of mind knowing your gutters are in the hands of highly sought-after professionals.
SAT are the leading Building Maintenance and Inspection company in Edinburgh. We offer our clients cost effective solutions to their work at height requirements. Our ability to complete demanding projects on time and within budget, is something we are proud of. It is our mission to support our clients in all aspects of their building maintenance, servicing and inspection requirements. 
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