Autumn is here, gutters be clear.

Have you ever cleaned your gutters? When was the last time you did it?

It’s a job that many think about doing but put off for a long time and often forget about it, but knowing how beneficial the task is to your house might just change your mind.

Cleaning your gutters is not a glamorous job we know, but it could save you time and money in the long run. As the darker nights approach us quickly, the autumn leaves fall. This should be your first sign that it's time.

Autumn leaves!

As beautiful as they are, they can cause lots of problems when it comes to your guttering. When the weather is dry, there is a chance that they might just blow right out. When the weather is on the wetter side, it can start to become a problem.

When leaves get wet, they have a tendency to clump together, once this happens they form a heavier mass which blocks the gutter and is much less likely to blow away. If you notice a few leaves have gathered together and they don't move on a dry day then some cleaning is required.

As British rain typically begins to increase at this time of year, the combination with the autumn leaves means this problem is not uncommon.

If there are too many leaves within your gutter, it will create a barrier stopping rainwater being able to pass through the guttering, creating an overflow. An overflowing gutter is not only inconvenient when you're trying to find your keys at the front door and the rain is dripping on your head. They can cause damage to other aspects of your home such as walls and fascias so it's important to fix an overflowing gutter as soon as possible.

With plastic guttering this can become a costly and even more inconvenient issue as it can create pressure which cracks or breaks the gutter. Steel guttering, whilst still being lightweight and cost effective, is less likely to crack or break as it can hold more weight, but all types of guttering need to be cleaned to prevent long-term damage.

Prevent blockage

To make prevent blockage or make cleaning requirements less frequent gutter brushes can be installed.

Gutter brushes sit within the gutter. When leaves fall, they land on the brush where they can dry out and blow aware more easily. This prevents leaves entering the guttering and forming a blockage however they do also restrict normal water flow so you should size up your gutter to ensure sufficient flow capacity.

If leaves flow from your gutter to your drainpipes this can be harder to clean. If you have an access pipe in the pipe stack you can remove the door and use a pipe rod to clear any blockage. Leaf traps and drain traps further prevent the leaves going through the pipes into ground drainage systems.

Perfect timing

Finding time to do extra jobs is difficult but if we build tasks into our schedule we're much more likely to get them done. Between Halloween and Christmas is the perfect time to clean your gutters. You want to ensure that all the leaves and debris is cleaned out before we fully enter into winter as winter can bring its own issues.

We will be talking about all things snow and winter soon!