Did you know that every year, gutters divert thousands of litres of rain water from your roof, exterior walls and foundations? Spring is a great time to decide to give your gutters a good clean, removing all the dead leaves and grime that have built up over the autumn and winter months.
Also, when gutters are well maintained, they will last longer and successfully protect your roof, exterior walls and foundations from extensive water damage. Simple gutter maintenance is the key to help ward off needless problems. Most homes today have one of three kinds of guttering, the maintenance of which differs slightly and needs to be looked into separately.
Steel gutters
On most homes you will find the simple gutter set-up, consisting of painted galvanised steel gutters and down pipes. Prior to the 1960s all gutters were made from galvanised steel. Steel gutters were strong and durable, however installing them was not easy and generally required the services of a professional. Most of the gutter problems you come across will be very easy to sort out and regular maintenance will prevent the need for costly repairs or replacements.
Very often, the most common problem is the fact that gutters fill up with leaves and debris. If they are not cleaned out, the gutters can get blocked and overflow. Alternatively, they can actually start rusting as, due to blockage, the water stays in the guttering instead of running down the downpipes. To avoid any of these problems, check the gutters every month for leaf blockage in the rainy season, especially if the gutters are under trees. Ensure that they are cleaned out at the end of autumn and then again in spring. This regular maintenance will keep the gutters free from any blockage.
When painting your new steel gutters ensure that a primer is used under the top coat, otherwise within one season the paint will start to peel away and look terrible. Once this has happened, the gutters will become very costly to repaint, as the gutters and down pipes will first have to be completely stripped of all the paint and then primed and painted again.
As mentioned before, often, when gutters are not maintained regularly, they will start to rust in places. The gutters usually come in sections, so to fix this problem you can remove the rusted section and replace it. When the new section is fitted, use silicone to seal the joint and then using rivets, join them up again. Prime the new section on the inside as well as the outside and then repaint.
PVC gutters
PVC gutters are a lot more expensive, yet almost maintenance free. They will experience the usual problems involving them filling up with leaves and debris, which can be sorted out as discussed above. Another common problem that all gutters have is when they start pulling away from the house. Heavy winds, large amounts of precipitation and other factors can lead to the gutters coming loose. To sort out this problem, first check the gutter hangers and mend them if they are loose or replace them if they are missing. To avoid this happening, if you are installing guttering in a very windy area, then be sure to add extra hangers at more regular intervals. PVC guttering will also need to be primed before being painted. However, apart from these relatively simple problems, PVC guttering is a problem-free gutter system.
Aluminium guttering
When it comes to gutters, aluminium guttering is considered the top-end choice – they are durable, don’t rust, come in a variety of colours and can be painted in any colour to match the home they will be protecting, and they can be shaped relatively easily. These gutter systems are also comparatively maintenance-free and will need the ordinary maintenance that any gutter systems require. They will, however corrode when they come into contact with other metals such as steel, copper or tin. Electrolysis will happen and the aluminium will actually disappear. Not only metals, but chemicals in concrete, plaster, bricks and treated timber can cause corrosion. The aluminium guttering and down pipes need to be isolated from these materials with a sheet of thick rubber or heavy plastic.
Other potential problems
Make sure that your gutters are not sagging and actually angle towards the downpipes. Often the gutters have filled up with leaves and blocked the downpipes, which will prevent the water from running away and actually overload the gutter, leading to sagging. Bend the gutter back with a pair of pliers and if necessary, put in an extra hanger. Where you have installed a very long gutter and it has sagged in the middle, it is best to install an extra down pipe in the middle of it – this will help the water escape more quickly and prevent any further sagging if regular maintenance is carried out.
Check the area under your downpipes, and unless the area is paved very often the water will puddle under the pipe and over time, lead to damp problems. Install a splash block, easily obtainable from any hardware, to direct the water away from your foundation. By taking these few tips into account, you can easily prevent any potentially expensive problems. Save yourself time, irritation and a lot of money, by maintaining your gutters and downpipes on a regular basis, at least twice a year. - Antonella Desi
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