Keep your Gutters Great

Buco 29 Jan 2019

Autumn is right around the corner and that means getting your house and yard ready for all the falling leaves that will soon be bombarding your home. It’s important to always have clean gunkfree gutters but it’s especially important to ensure you get a head start to the season by cleaning out your house’s gutter system properly.

Why is it so important to have clean gutters?

GO WITH THE FLOW – Clean gutters constantly direct leaves water and other trash away from the roof of your home
H²0 MY GOSH – Clean gutters constantly keep rain water flowing off your roof and prevents what is known as “Ponding” (pools of water forming on your roof or in your ceiling due to improper drainage)
ALL ABOUT EAVES - Clogged gutters quickly leave a house looking messy on the outside, and drastically lowers the visual appeal of your home from the street
DON’T LET IT BUG YOU – Clogged gutters are a perfect breeding ground for rodents, mosquitoes, mold and many other malignant creatures

Are you DIYing it?

Sometimes it’s just easier to DIY. Especially when you can find everything you need in one place. You can find all the following items you’ll need for your gutter cleaning duty at BUCO:

Narrow Trowel (To scrape out the leaves and silt)
Plastic Garbage Bag (To stash all the mess in)
Stiff Brush (To scrape off any excess silt after washing out with a hose)
Safety Goggles (To protect your eyes from dirty falling debris)
Garden Hose with High Pressure Attachment (To spray out the majority of the gunk)
Heavy-Duty Work Gloves (To protect your hands from sharp edges and other hazards)
Long Hook or Extension Ladder (To reach the gutter safely)

Some great gutter DO’s & DON’T’s

DO
Clean after a light rain – damp leaves & dirt will lift up more easily Start cleaning at the drain outlets, as that’s where the thickest concentration of leaves and gunk will be lodged Use the garden hose to remove any excess silt after you have cleaned out with the trowel and brush Wear eye protection and old clothing - gutter cleaning is a messy business BE CAREFUL when climbing high ladders – always ensure the ladder’s base is firmly

DO

Clean after a light rain – damp leaves & dirt will lift up more easily
Start cleaning at the drain outlets, as that’s where the thickest concentration of leaves and gunk will be lodged
Use the garden hose to remove any excess silt after you have cleaned out with the trowel and brush
Wear eye protection and old clothing - gutter cleaning is a messy business
BE CAREFUL when climbing high ladders – always ensure the ladder’s base is firmly

DON’T
Try to use a leaf blower of the leaves & silt is wet – it will only burn out the leaf blower’s motor Leave all the work for the gutter guard – they don’t prevent debris from building up, they just help with potential hazards Neglect your hardware – Check that your gutters have been installed properly and no pooling occurs anywhere within them Do it alone, if you can help it – an extra pair of hands to hands over the next tool or stabilize the ladder can always come in handy

DON’T

Try to use a leaf blower of the leaves & silt is wet – it will only burn out the leaf blower’s motor
Leave all the work for the gutter guard – they don’t prevent debris from building up, they just help with potential hazards
Neglect your hardware – Check that your gutters have been installed properly and no pooling occurs anywhere within them
Do it alone, if you can help it – an extra pair of hands to hands over the next tool or stabilize the ladder can always come in handy

KEEP YOUR GUTTERS LOOKING GREAT WITH A GUTTER GUARD

We’ve mentioned gutter guards can help with the potential hazards of blockage, but what do you need to look for in a quality gutter guard, if you don’t already have one? Know your guards. Options (from least to most effective) range from:

Plastic or wire mesh
Brush-tails (which fit inside the gutter and roll off any excess debris)
Foam guards (pre-cut pieces of foam that soak up excess water and allow debris to roll off the gutter)

DIY Gutter Guards:

Even better, make your own gutter guard! DIY means you can custom-make a gutter guard that perfectly fits your house and your budget.

Take a notepad and write down all the measurements of your gutters (length and width).
Next, add about 5cm on both length and width measurements to get a final measurement figure. (Gutters should generally be the same width all along the same system.)
Measure out lengths of mesh wire and cut them into 30 – 60cm pieces and add up to total your gutter’s measurements.
Roll the mesh wire in a half circle and slot into the gutter securely.

DIY Gutter Blaster:

Don’t break your back when blowing out the gunk from your gutters, simply get to your nearest BUCO and make an easy attachment for your leaf blower by getting the following items:

1 x PVC Pipe (40mm) of about 300cm in length
2 x PVC 90º Elbow Bend (40mm)
PVC cement
Duct Tape
Saw

Cut two 15cm lengths of PVC pipe off the long pipe
Dry-fit these two pieces into the 90º Elbow Bends to make sure they fit, then cement them so they stay put
Attach the one 90º Elbow Bend to the long PVC pipe
Duct tape the other end of the pipe to your leaf blower’s pipe so no air can escape any other place except the top end
Place the short end of the pipe in the gutter and turn on the leaf blower for a direct stream into those hard-to-reach places

As always, if you are unsure about any step of this process or about which gutter or gutter guard is the best fit for your home, you can ask one of our friendly in-store experts at BUCO to assist you. With a wide range of roof and roof drainage products as well as expert advice, we’ll make sure that your gutter maintenance or installation isn’t a draining process.

WANT TO RECEIVE MORE INFORMATION LIKE THIS AND UPDATES ON SPECIALS AND PROMOTIONS?

For anyone who owns a home or flat, gutter cleaning is pretty inevitable around this time of the year. The end of the chilly weather signifies the end of the leaf falling season, which means all the leaves that have fallen throughout the winter are bound to be good and packed into your gutters.

At BUCO, we’ve put together a few tips on why you should clean your gutters, how best to get the job done quickly, and what tools and materials to use for best results. Read on to find out more.

DIY Gutter Cleaning

Do I have to clean my gutters out?

You absolutely can leave the leaves in your gutters and they fall, but you’ll run the risk of a few irritating things happening:

When leaves fall, they tend to create a block across the downpipes. When the first rains come the water won’t be able to flow easily and you’ll have overflowing gutters after one hour of rain.
When leaves collect, they also tend to rot. Rotten leaves in your gutters can create pretty awful smells wafting into your windows and doors.

Can I clean my gutters myself?

Cleaning gutters DIY-style is totally possible. You can opt to get a company to sort it out for you, but it’s a super easy job to tackle on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. All you need is a few good materials and supplies, a very good ladder, and maybe someone to give you a hand while you’re at it.

Here’s what you’ll need to get your gutters cleaned well (and keep your sanity at the same time);

A sturdy ladder
A set of gloves
A gutter scoop (optional)
A hosepipe that is plugged in and can reach high enough to use

How can I clean the leaves out the gutter?

Once you’ve got all your accessories together, it’s time to set to work. The best way to clean out gutters is to manually do it. Simply climb up onto your sturdy ladder and scoop out all the leaves, twigs, branches, and sticks; clearing as much of the gutter as possible. You can use your hands to do this (that’s what the set of gloves are for) or you can use a gutter scoop to help.

Once you’ve scooped up all the leaves, keep them aside in a black refuse bag, they’re great to use on your compost heap later. Wash out the gutters with a hosepipe to make sure you’ve cleared all the debris away and that your downpipes are flowing freely too.

You might want to consider gutter guards to prevent leaves from falling into your gutters ever again. If not, just schedule regular gutter cleaning sessions at the end of every season to keep your gutters looking great.

You’ll be able to buy all the accessories, like the ladder, gloves, scoop, and hosepipe from your local BUCO store - find your nearest store now - or log on to BUCO online for easy, convenient online shopping.

Home maintenance and DIY can bring a huge sense of satisfaction to you when it’s done. Just imagine that ice-cold beer on a warm Spring afternoon, while you sit back and marvel in your DIY skills.

Happy DIY-ing, from the BUCO Team.