Recommendations To Make Sure Your Home's Gutter System Is Ready For Winter

There are several important maintenance tasks you should do within and around your home to keep it protected against outside threats. Pests, heavy winds, and precipitation can all find their way into your home and cause extensive damage, especially when it comes to moisture. Moisture can cause damage to furnishings and interior framework along with the potential for mold and mildew growth. Here are some maintenance tasks you can do to your home to make sure it is ready for winter weather and storms and keep out moisture and its problems.

Inspect Your Gutters

As a homeowner, you can always complete your own basic inspections of your home's rain gutter drainage system. The gutters hang along the edge of your roof, and you can safely inspect them from the ground and also up along your roof's edge with a ladder or you can have someone help you. 

From the ground, look for any sagging to your gutters, which will visually show you the line of the gutters is not straight against the roof. You can also look for corrosion of the seams, which can lead to rusting and gaping to cause leaks.

With an up-close inspection, the connection points on your gutters should be secure and not loose or missing. And make sure the gutter interior is not filled with leaves and other debris. Often, this can build up as a thick hard layer on the bottom of the gutters.

Test Your Roof Drainage

You should follow up on your inspection by testing the gutters for their effectiveness. During or at the end of a rainstorm, look at how they collect and drain water from your roof. You can also complete a test with your garden hose on your roof. Spray the hose onto your roof safely and watch where the water flows.

Is there any water draining from the sides or connection points of the gutters? Or are there missing sections of your gutters where rain is falling from the edge of the roof down onto pavement or soil? Your gutters should collect water so that none of it falls upon the foundation or soil around your home. 

Consult With a Gutter Professional

Anytime you have questions about your gutter system or notice any signs of aging or damage, or a missing length of gutters, consult with a gutter professional. They will be able to determine the best correction or addition to your gutter system, or if your existing gutters need replacement. They can recommend a gutter guard, seamless gutters, and also check the downspouts and splash pads of your roof drainage to make sure the ground area is protected from over-saturation.

To learn more information, reach out to gutter installation contractors near you.