Eavestroughs and gutters are essential components of almost any home’s drainage system. They prevent rainwater from spilling onto the foundation, flooding the basement, and damaging the house’s exterior. Regularly cleaning and maintaining your eavestroughs and gutters is essential to ensure they continue to work properly. Unfortunately, many homeowners make mistakes during the cleaning and maintenance process, resulting in costly damage and repairs. In this article, we’ll discuss the most common eavestrough and gutter cleaning mistakes and how to avoid them.
Not Taking the Necessary Safety Precautions
One of the most common eavestrough and gutter cleaning mistakes is not taking the necessary safety precautions. Homeowners often assume they can access their eavestroughs and gutters with a ladder, but this can be extremely dangerous. You should always use a sturdy, stable ladder and secure it to a stable surface before attempting to access your eavestroughs and gutters. Additionally, you should have someone help support the ladder and watch for any potential hazards.
Not Cleaning the Downspouts
Another mistake many homeowners make when cleaning their eavestroughs and gutters is failing to clean the downspouts. This can result in clogged downspouts and poor drainage, resulting in water spilling onto the foundation, flooding the basement, and damaging the house’s exterior. If you’re cleaning your eavestroughs and gutters, you should also be sure to clean the downspouts as well.
Not Removing All Debris
In addition to not cleaning the downspouts, many homeowners also fail to remove all debris from their eavestroughs and gutters. While it’s important to remove large chunks of debris, such as leaves and twigs, it’s also important to remove smaller items, such as sand, dirt, and shingle grit. If these items are left in the eavestroughs and gutters, they can cause clogs, resulting in poor drainage and water damage.
Not Inspecting the Eavestroughs and Gutters
Finally, many homeowners also fail to inspect their eavestroughs and gutters after cleaning them.