It is very important to the well being of your home to create a flow a water away from your house. Having your gutters clogged can allow water to flow into your fountain and into your basement. It can also cause your sump pump (if you have one) to operate way to much bring down it's overall life.
Here are my tips and tricks to cleaning your gutters:
1 - You'll need a ladder to gain access to the roof edge. It's not recommended to put the top of the ladder against the gutter as it might bend or break. Sometimes however there isn't another option. Use ladder safety - have a partner hold the base to prevent it from moving.
2 - Remove all leaves, twigs, etc. You can use your hands with gloves or a tool like a gutter scoop or trowel.
3 - Use a bucket or trash bag on the ladder to put the leaves, etc in. Or do it like me and just grab and throw. Let the lawn mower eat it up.
4 - More times than now the downspouts are clogged. Especially if you are looking online for help. Take the water hose up with you to the gutter drain with a unbent clothes metal hanger. Don't use full pressure of water out of the hose. Older gutters may break under the water pressure. Push the wire (unbent clothes hanger) down the down spout and create some air flow. Put the water from hose into down spout and keep jabbing the wire until it breaks free. If the clog seems to be farther down - use a small plumbers snake, but be gentle.
5 - Don't use a leaf blower - that is just crazy. Carrying that heavy machine up a ladder....! I saw a neighbor doing that and had my phone ready to call 911 for him - :).
6 - let the hose run in the gutter for a bit and just check to make sure it is flowing openly.
7 - install some gutter guards! They have some very well priced ones at Home Depot that just click in. You snap to the front of the gutter then push in under your shingle. No nailing or screwing in required. This will save you the headache every season of having to ladder it up to the roof.
8 - Make sure the water is flowing away from your house from the bottom of the down spout. If not install a dry well - Click below to learn how!
