Tips for Caring for Your Gutters After a Storm

Gutters After a Storm
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Heavy rains can cause a lot of damage to your home, especially if you don’t have proper drainage because your gutters are clogged or damaged. When the water isn’t able to be drained away from the sides of your home, it will seep into the ground and pool around your foundation. Over time this can mean serious damage to your home’s foundation and end up leading to costly repairs down the road. This is just one of the main reasons it’s important to take care of your gutters as soon as you notice they’ve sustained damage, such as after a storm. Below are some tips for caring for your gutters after a storm.

Remove Debris

One of the first steps is to remove the debris that might be clogging your gutters, preventing them from draining the water from your roof. This includes anything like sticks, leaves, dirt, nests, or anything that a storm might have blown towards the roof and landed in the gutter. Once the gutters are clear, you may consider investing in gutter guards to help keep debris out of your gutters in the future. If you have gutter guards, check them for signs of damage and clean them as needed.

Eliminate Standing Water

The next step is to eliminate any standing water or residue that may still be in your gutters. Use a garden hose to flush the gutters and downspouts, being careful not to splash any water on your siding or windows if you can help it. You may even need to use a ladder to reach the eaves of your roof. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this yourself, you can hire a professional gutter cleaner to handle the job for you.

Inspect for Damage

After you’ve removed all the debris from your gutters and cleaned out any remaining water or residue, inspect them for damage. While you can do this during the cleaning process, it’s important to also take a serious look around once everything is cleaned and you can properly see your gutters. Look for things like cracks, holes, or loose joints. Also, check your downspouts to make sure they are firmly attached and free of clogs themselves. If you find any damage, repair it as soon as possible so that it doesn’t have the chance to worsen over time. 

Gutters After a Storm
Image by FreePik

Schedule Maintenance or Repair

Once you’ve noticed the damage that needs to be taken care of, you can look into hiring a gutter cleaner or roofing company to take care of the problem. Roofing companies especially should be able to handle the problem easily since they can also ensure that any storm-related damage to the roof is also handled and that the gutter will be able to do its job of catching run-off water. This means that no matter what roof type you have, the roofing company should be able to handle it.

To prevent future problems, you can also schedule annual gutter maintenance with a professional gutter cleaner. They can take over the task of cleaning and inspecting your gutters and downspouts, ensuring you’ll either prevent serious damage or be able to catch it early.

By following these four tips, you can help keep your gutters in good shape after a storm, minimizing the risk of expensive repairs not only to your gutters and roof but to the rest of your house. After a major storm, make sure to take a glance towards your roof to make sure everything survived alright and to make sure your gutters are able to drain all of the rainwater safely and successfully.

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