How important is it to keep your guttering maintained?

• Clear Blocked Downpipes: Use extendable rods or stiff wire to dislodge debris. For cast iron pipes, act quickly to prevent freezing and cracking. Cover the bottom of the drainpipe to avoid clogging the drains.
• Remove Moss and Debris: Regularly clean gutters of leaves and debris with a garden trowel. Ensure that debris doesn’t enter downpipes and check for leaks by pouring water into the gutters. Consider professional help if needed.
• Inspect for Cracks and Sagging: Check for overflowing gutters during rain, which may indicate blockages or sagging. Replace damaged or missing brackets to fix sagging and inspect all brackets for damage or rust.
• Why It Matters: Proper gutter maintenance prevents water damage, such as damp walls and damaged windows, ensuring your roofing system functions effectively and protects your property.

Guttering plays an integral role in your roofing system, collecting rainwater from the roof of your property and diverting it away from the roof edge into the ground.

While it’s available in a range of materials, including cast iron, aluminium and lead, plastic guttering is the most popular option due to its maintenance-free finish.

Despite this, exposure to the elements can cause the materials to deteriorate over time, resulting in damaged guttering. Leaks can create major problems for your property, such as damp walls and damaged windows and doors.

Our accredited team at Abbey Roofing specialise in offering quality roofing solutions for a high performing, functional roofing system.

Therefore, we have compiled a list of the main things to look out for to keep your guttering in excellent condition and free of debris.

Clearing a blocked downpipe

The most effective way of clearing a blocked downpipe is to push an extendable drainage rod through the pipe to dislodge any debris inside. Make sure you carry this task out with great care to avoid pushing rubbish further into the pipe creating a more stubborn blockage. Remember to cover the bottom of the drainpipe to prevent any rubbish entering your drains.

If the blockage persists or you have angles in your downpipes, try tapping the side of the pipe to listen for a solid sound so you have an idea of where the blockage is. Then, simply push a stiff wire downward through the top of the pipe to remove the blockage.

If your guttering is made from cast iron, any blockages are likely to freeze, expand and crack the downpipe so make sure you remove these as quickly as possible.

 

Keep your guttering free of moss, leaves and debris

Despite being one of the most important components of a home, maintaining gutters is often an overlooked task in many households.

Guttering systems are often located high up on a property in hard to reach corners,  but don’t let this deter you.

When clearing a blocked gutter, make sure you keep any debris away from the downpipes to prevent rubbish entering and clogging the pipe. Using a garden trowel, collect any debris and scrape the gutter clean; check there are no leaks in the system by pouring water into the guttering.

If you struggle at any point, we strongly recommend you hire the expertise of a professional to carry the job out for you.

Check for any cracks, leaks or sagging

If you’ve noticed that your guttering system is overflowing during rainy periods, the first step is to thoroughly inspect your gutters and downpipes for any blockages or debris.

If your guttering is clear, it’s more than likely that the overflowing is due to sagging. This is typically caused by a broken gutter bracket or not enough brackets fitted into the system in the first place.

To fix the problem, replace the damaged bracket or install a new one under the sagging section of the guttering to help restore it back to top working order.

This is also the perfect opportunity to check the other brackets in your guttering system for any signs of damage and replace rusted or broken screws.

Here at Abbey Roofing, we have a dedicated and skilled team of roofers with more than 20 years’ experience working in both the domestic and commercial roofing sectors.
We work hard all year round, carrying out emergency repairs and re-roofing, and take great pride in the reliable and quality service we deliver.

We offer a range of roofing services including; lead roofing, slate roofing, flat roofing, felt roofing, sheet metal roofing, emergency roof repairs, commercial roofing, new roof installations, gutter cleaning.

To customers in Hemel Hempstead, Watford, St Albans, Bedford, Slough, Milton Keynes, Watford, Barnet, Harpenden and beyond.

Why not contact Abbey Roofing for a free quote today, quality skilled tradesmen at great prices!