If you are a homeowner, you will no doubt understand that it takes a lot of time and money to look after your home. Most people realise the importance of maintaining the fabric of the building, but nonetheless there is a tendency for people to put this kind of work on the back burner. For example, most people would rather spend money updating their kitchen rather than replacing their guttering.
This is understandable, but if you want to keep your home in good order, checking your guttering regularly is very important. If your guttering is not fit for purpose, you will find that water gets into the fabric of your building. When that happens your new kitchen will eventually be ruined and you could end up with a huge repair bill to deal with damp or replace electrics that have been ruined by water.
Here are some signs to look out for that may mean that your guttering needs replacing. After you have read this, we suggest you slip outside look up and carry out this simple check.
Is it still properly secured to the building?
If you can see bits of your guttering or downpipes hanging off the building you need to get that fixed straight away. Look in particular at the points where one piece of guttering joins the next. That is where you will often see the first signs that your guttering is about to come apart or fail. It is particularly important to do this with square guttering; this kind will fail quickly once fittings start to come loose.
Look for puddles of water
On a dewy morning walk around your house looking for areas that are damper than the surrounding ground. If these damp patches are located immediately under your gutter this could be a sign that your guttering is starting to fail.
Look for mould and moss
The presence of mould and moss can also be a sign that your gutters are no longer carrying the water away from your home.
When was the last time you cleaned your gutters?
Cleaning your gutters at least once a year is very important. If leaves or rubbish build up in any part of your guttering the entire system will not function properly.
While you are cleaning your gutters, you can check for damage, and try to work out what is causing leaves and rubbish to build up at particular points. You can buy and fit guards that fit over the top of your gutters. A simple wire mesh will keep the worst of the rubbish out. You will still have to clean the small bits out. Bear in mind that leaving rubbish in your gutters makes it more likely that it will fail.
When it is time to replace your gutters, be sure to use a good firm to do the work for you. The quality of the materials used and that standard of the workmanship will have a big impact on how long it will be before you have to replace it again.
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