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Rain Gutter Cleaning and Repairing Tips

Rain gutters are built to carry away water from the base of a building’s foundation so that the foundation remains well protected. Houses with rain gutters need to keep it clean and clear to ensure there is no blockage within these narrow channels.

Rain gutters are an integral component of roof systems, and they are designed to accumulate and divert melted snow and rainwater. Without rain gutters, rainwater can easily cause erosion of the soil around the foundation of the building and seepage of water into the basement of the building. Installation of rain gutters is done using materials such as PVC pipes, painted or galvanized steel, copper, painted aluminum, wood, stone, concrete, fiber, etc. Incorporation of rain gutters in a building can be done in the following three ways

  • By keeping a metal trough suspended below the roof’s slope and beyond its edge.
  • By creating a narrow channel that opens into a downward opening pipe and runs along the edge beneath the roof’s slope.
  • Building a narrow channel made of brick or stone just below the edge of the roof.

Clogged and blocked gutters not only cause damage to a building’s foundation, but also becomes an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes. Weeds and grasses also start growing in rain gutters that are not maintained properly. This is why regular cleaning and repairing of rain gutters is as important as having them installed.

Cleaning of blocked rain gutters: The water collection system of rain gutters is disrupted completely by the collection of leaves, pieces of barks, nuts, etc. In most cases, these clogs are found around the trough’s or pipe’s joint’s and openings. With a blocked gutter, water tends to overflow and cause seepage. Accumulated debris can be pulled out of a rain gutter using or pushing a garden towel up and down along the gutter. You may also use gutter guards to filter out debris accumulated in your rain gutter.

Rain Gutter Leakage: Leakage caused due to holes, cracks and disconnected joints is another major concern associated with rain gutters. If your rain gutter has smaller cracks, you may use a water resistant glue to seal the crack. However, for larger cracks, it is advisable to paste a sheet of steel in the cracked portion using the same kind of glue.

Disjointed downspouts or trough: This happens mostly by the erosion of the nuts and bolts by water. This problem can be fixed simply by tightening or replacing the nuts and bolts. However, you may have to replace them if your downspouts or trough is broken.

Follow these tips to keep your rain gutters operating in optimum efficiency year after year. Thanks for visiting our official blog and please come back for more useful discussions on home and commercial plumbing problems.

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Written by Anta

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