It’s essential to perform routine winter gutter maintenance before the first frost and snow occurs. Once the fall foliage has left tree limbs bare, the fast-decaying debris typically builds up in gutters and downspouts. Unless eavestroughs are cleaned and prepped for below-freezing temperatures, your home could sustain water damage. Explore our tips on how to prepare your eavestroughs for the cold Ontario winter.
Maintaining Safety When Cleaning Your Gutters
Keep in mind that safety is always the top priority when cleaning your gutters. Never try to stand on the roof and lean over to pull leaves and sediment out of the eavestroughs. If you plan to conduct winter gutter maintenance yourself, it’s crucial to use a safety-certified ladder. Don’t hesitate to ask for help, whether from a friend or from eavestrough cleaning professionals like the team at Home Service Solutions.
Preparing Your Gutters for the Winter
1: Inspect the Gutter System
Effective winter gutter maintenance starts by ensuring the water runoff system is intact. Take your garden hose and run the water through each section. Watch carefully to see if water is flowing through the downspouts efficiently or if it’s backing up. Also, check for any leaks or dents in the gutters. Even a pinhole can expand over the winter as water freezes and expands the gap.
2: Clean Leaves and Debris from Gutters
Using a sturdy ladder and wearing work gloves, climb high enough to look down into the eavestroughs. Begin by reaching down into the gutters and removing leaves and thick debris. Avoid skin contact with gutter sediment because it may contain previously airborne contaminants that settled on the roof.
Use a metal or hard plastic scoop to cull out any packed materials sticking to the eavestroughs. Once the entire gutter system is free of caked material, circle back with an environmentally sustainable cleaning product and sponges. It’s important to eliminate the patina inside the gutters to prevent buildups over the winter.
3: Flush the Eavestroughs System
Once the debris has been removed, run another round of water through the eavestrough system. Look over each section to determine if water is flowing freely or pooling in some areas. Standing water will freeze during the frigid months, resulting in gutter and soffit damage.
4: Protect Against Winter Water Damage
It’s important for homeowners to take steps to prevent water damage. Adding gutter guards stops leaves and debris from clogging the system and overflowing into the soffits and exterior walls. And when water freezes, it has an expanding force that cracks stone and concrete. Adding extenders to downspouts helps move rain and melting snow away from your foundation.
Reliable Gutter Cleaning in Southwestern Ontario
At Home Services Solutions, we know how to prepare your gutters for the winter because our trained technicians do it every day. Having experts inspect, clean, and ensure your gutters are working effectively provides peace of mind your home won’t sustain water damage. For winter gutter maintenance, contact Home Service Solutions today. Or, if you’re looking for a more permanent solution to gutter cleaning, explore our gutter guard solutions.