Between the rain, the colder weather, the lack of leaves on trees, and the risks these pose to your gutters, winter can be a pretty taxing time of the year for some of us. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at some common gutter problems during winter, and explain what you can do to combat them!
Ground leaves
It’s important to make sure that throughout autumn and winter you are consistently raking up the leaves that accumulate on the ground around your home or building. A layer of leaves on the ground – if left to decompose – will be remain wet from dew and rainfall, and will become an unsightly, mushy mess that attracts pests and diseases.
Leaves from the ground can also be picked up by the wind and carried to your gutters, where they could become lodged and cause blockages. As we know, these leaves will also rot and decompose while stopping the proper flow of water, making your gutter maintenance more difficult and expensive, and threatening the overall integrity of your gutter system.
The solution here is to rake up leaves on the ground as often as you need to – this will depend on the amount of leaves that land on your property after falling from trees or blowing in from neighbouring properties.
Downspouts
Clogged downspouts are a huge problem during winter – leaves and debris causing blockages will cause water to pool in the guttering at the top, which will weigh down and put pressure on gutters while also leading to overflow. Debris inside downspouts will allow bacteria to develop – this is bad news for the pipes, so exercising care and caution is important when it comes to making sure they’re clear.
The best way to counter this problem is to check your downspouts throughout winter – provided that you’re able to access them yourself. Though this may be hard, it’s also a good way to determine the overall level of maintenance required for your gutters in winter. You’ll need to be able to look down your downspouts, inspect the amount of leaves or debris, and use a hose to test for any blockages by just running water into the downspout and making sure that it flows freely into the drains below. If this is the case, then your downspouts are clear. However, if there’s a blockage then you (or a professional) may need to inspect your system further.
Fight back against winter!
As you can see, winter is a time to be vigilant when it comes to your gutters – in regions with harsher conditions, people will even have to face problems like frozen water or large quantities of snow in their gutters! If you’re looking for a gutter specialist that can help you through winter and solve your leaf guard problems, look no further. With high-quality gutter guards and a range of premium products such as Klass Fascia, the team at Three65 Spouting are the most trustworthy and reliable experts on gutters and spouting Wellington has to offer! Get in contact now to discuss how we can improve your gutters this winter.