When was the last time you checked your gutters?
The answer to that is… probably a while.
And that’s something not to worry about, most people tend to forget that their gutters are there. Unfortunately, we all forget until something goes wrong. Storms, wind, rain, and leaves are not friends of any gutter. Sadly, this can mean more repairs and costly replacements, hence sometimes checking on them can save you in the long run.
But what can do you to prevent issues with your gutters? We have a wide range of solutions to prepare yourself for before and after winter!
1. Blocked Gutters and Downpipes
South Australia is known for its gum trees, but they’re also a home’s worst nightmare. Gutters can become clogged when debris, such as leaves, twigs, and dirt is left to build up and accumulate in the gutters.
If you’ve noticed during winter or when it’s been heavily raining that there’s a lot of overflow coming from your gutters, well it’s time to get them checked out! Water overflow can cause damage to the internal and external walls of the home. Water can also accumulate around the blockage, and can encourage debris, moss, lichen, and algae to build up – which will cause erosion (and cause more long-term issues!)
Additional debris that is blocking the gutters can also cause to put on extra pressure, causing the gutters to sag and droop.
Solution?
It’s important to clean and maintain your gutters at least once a year. However, if you have a number of trees overhanging your home, it may be better to have it looked at twice a year.
2. Sagging or Loose Gutters
Heavily clogged gutters can sag or become loose for a wide variety of reasons. One of the main causes of sagging gutters is due to being clogged up for a long period of time, or extreme weather and storms which can deteriorate the hardware and materials. Loose gutters can separate from the house and can be extremely dangerous.
Solution?
Depending on how significant the damage is, it may mean either cleaning out and securing back to your structure, or replacing the segment of gutter.
3. Leaking Gutters
Have you noticed more watermarks on your external walls? There may be a chance that this is leaking caused by your gutters. Leaks like this can be caused by holes, cracks, rust, and even gutter joints splitting and separating.
After 10+ years this is not an uncommon occurrence since gutters are exposed to elements 24/7.
Solution?
You need the assistance of an expert to identify the cause of the leak and assess the extent of the issue. It may be a simple fix, or it could be more crucial where it’s impacted the gutters for long-term damage. In the situation that the gutters require replacing, Just Quality offers guttering services to replace ALL gutters.
4. Downpipes Not Correctly Installed
When it’s been raining, your downpipes are a huge savour in ensuring that all water is draining properly. However, sometimes they are not installed properly, or there are not enough of them when they were first installed.
Gutters will overflow if there are not enough downpipes. We absolutely need them for drainage! If your downpipes are not connected properly, one of the most common issues is that they don’t disperse the water far enough away from the home’s foundation. If not moved, the water can begin to create a pool around the foundation, ultimately causing damage to this part of your home.
Solution?
This can be a relatively easy one to fix. The solution might involve installing more downpipes to take the pressure off the existing downpipe.
5. Missing Gutters
If you’ve just bought a much older home and notice bits of the gutters are missing – it’s best to get onto this sooner rather than later! Some guttering systems might not have the right parts or pieces, or they have fallen off over time. Whatever the reason, this is something that needs to be fixed!
Water that would normally be carried around could fall down onto people at your home, pool around the foundation, and have a lot of issues with drainage.
Solution?
There is a solution but it can be on the costly side. If your guttering system is not adequate, then segments may need to be installed or perhaps an entire new gutter needs to be installed.
If your gutters are missing segments from damage or deterioration, it may be best to have your entire guttering system replaced with a new gutter.
