How to Easily Inspect Your Gutters for Damage
As a homeowner, keeping up with regular maintenance and inspections is important in order to keep your home looking and functioning its best. One often-overlooked part of home maintenance is inspecting your gutters for damage. Keeping your gutters clean from debris and free from visible damage will help ensure they’re doing their job properly and directing water away from the foundation of your home. To help you stay on top of this, we’ve put together this guide on how to easily inspect your gutters for damage.
First and foremost, it’s important that you observe all basic safety practices when inspecting your gutters (or any part of the outside of your house). This means being sure to wear gloves, protective eyewear, stable shoes or boots with non-slip soles, as well as possibly a dust mask if there is lot of dirt or pollen in the area. If you are not comfortable getting up on a ladder yourself or do not feel safe working at heights – find a professional to do an inspection instead.
When you are ready to begin, set up a sturdy ladder near one end of the gutter system. If you can see the entire gutter line while standing on the ground, then it may not be necessary to climb up onto the roof. Begin by running your hands along the length of each gutter run to check for any visible dents or holes caused by falling debris or objects like hailstones. Also take note if anything appears bent out of shape due to age or other issues like snow loads during winter months. While doing this inspection pay special attention about 6 feet away from downspouts, as this is often where clogs develop first due to accumulating leaves and other debris which has settled further up stream in the gutters themselves.
Next use an ordinary garden hose without any attachments such as sprayer nozzles to run water through each section until it passes freely through all downspouts into drains located directly beneath them if possible — otherwise make sure that water runs out onto sidewalks or gravel paths instead so that it drains away safely rather than towards landscaped areas or flowerbeds. If possible also take note if there are any sudden changes in pressure laterally across any particular section indicating obstructions which could indicate either partial blockages due higher accumulation than usual behind downspouts.
It’s also important that you look carefully at the seams along each section which connect them together and determine if they appear secure enough since any looseness here can allow sections connect below them when heavy rain falls resulting in overflows down walls rather than into respective drains beneath – this can result in mould growth inside walls as well! In addition inspect screws used for attaching sections together and make sure these are still sound after repeated expansions/contractions caused by temperature variations throughout seasons too—you may need to reattach these using longer screws depending upon what you find here alone!
Finally check around areas around eaves/soffits near roofline ensuring no evidence exists indicating nesting materials built by animals such as birds inside cavity here since this too could eventually lead backflow problems over time if left unchecked!
If you need assistance with repairs or would like professional advice regarding inspecting your gutters for damage then don’t hesitate contact Reliable Roofing & Construction today! They have years of combined experience providing quality roofing services throughout Hattiesburg MS—and beyond!
How to find us:
- Reliable Roofing & Construction LLC
- 5267 Old Highway 11, Suite F, Hattiesburg, MS 39402
- 601-550-6286