Gutters are probably one of the things in your home that you don’t think about until something goes wrong with them. You can’t just disregard it because it can cause long term annoyance and inconvenience if left unfixed. Some of the most common problems it could cause are overflowing and leaking around the house. If you leave them to neglect it, it can soon cause severe water damage in your house. Fortunately, there are several ways to repair your gutters and even if you have zero knowledge about it; you can learn a few points and do it yourself.
Here are five tips to repairing your gutters.
1. Always be on the lookout.
Always be on the lookout if there is something wrong in your gutter. Check out for signs of a leak in the drainage system or places where water has pooled. This is the first step and the one thing you must do even if your gutter is fine. Check your gutters every now and then so you will be aware if you have to do any repairs anytime soon. This will also help you assess if you can do it yourself or if it is time to contact gutter repair services.
2. Wash your gutters
Washing your gutters every now and then goes a long way. You don’t have to do it regularly, but after doing your inspection and you see the need to clean it, go ahead and clean the gutters. Spraying them with pressure water would be the best way to do it. It won’t destroy gutters so long as you have to make sure you have secured all screws and spikes.
3. Cover large holes with patches
If your gutters are leaking and there are huge holes in it, the best way to repair them would be covering them with patches. To do this, look for a metal patch and apply roofing cement over the patch. On the other hand, for smaller holes, you can skip the patches and apply roofing cement using a putty knife directly.
4. Change old gutters to aluminum or vinyl
If your gutters are very old, chances are, they are old models that are susceptible to rust. Consider changing them to either aluminum or vinyl as these types of gutters do not rust. There are also plenty of these at the market now so you won’t have an issue in case you need a replacement in the future. However, if it would take a huge chunk of your time and money to do the move, make sure to get all the rust off the old gutters and paint it to avoid rust.
5. Clean out everything around the gutter
Clean out any dirt and decomposed leaves around the gutter. Leaves may look harmless but if it is left out stuck in the gutters, it could decompose and would build up to that much-dreaded compost. Eventually, these stuck decomposed leaves can cause clogging and drainage will no longer work properly. So to avoid any of these to happen in the future, clean out everything that could cause any clogging to the gutters.