A good rain gutter system is essential to protecting your home from water damage. Seamless gutters consist of a single gutter that is custom-sized to fit your roof. Seamless gutters are usually created on site at your home by a contractor with a gutter machine. Aluminum is the most popular material for gutters.
To clean your gutters you’ll need the right tools, and the most important tool for this job is a steady ladder. Leaning an extension ladder against your gutters can damage them. Don’t be tempted to hang the bucket from your gutters, since the added weight can damage the gutters. After you have cleaned out the debris, flush the gutters with a garden hose. Next, check for clogs in your downspouts. Unclogging your downspouts is undoubtedly the hardest part of cleaning your gutters.
Your rain gutters were put there to protect your house. When the rain runs down the roof, it washes all this into the rain gutter. On a smaller scale, that’s what can also happen in you rain gutters.
Material collects in the gutter instead of coming down the downspout. One simple design is a gutter screen, which uses some form of screen to catch the solids and pass the water. Screens are simple to install and keep most of the leaves and debris out of your gutters. The hood covers the entire gutter and has just a tiny channel for the water to enter the gutter.
A hybrid gutter cover is much the same as a hood with many of the features of the gutter screen. A newer technology is the gutter filter. This system uses a filter membrane installed inside the gutter.
Sock Woodruff is founder and partner of GutterSupply.com, the leading manufacturer and distributor of gutter supplies, gutter machines, gutter covers, and related tools and equipment.
Is your house equipped with rain gutters made of copper? The wind and rain carry all kinds of stuff into rain gutters. There are many different kinds of gutter protection systems available today including gutter guards, gutter covers, gutter screens, and gutter filters. If you have half-round gutters, the Half-Round Hinged Gutter Screen is available to fit 5-inch or 6-inch gutters. A gutter screen will prevent all except rather fine material from passing into the rain gutter.
Often driven by the desire to avoid the necessity of cleaning the gutters two, or three, or even four times a year, various different ideas have led to the creation of gutter guards, gutter covers, and gutter screens. Gutter screens are not like the window screens you use to keep out flies and mosquitoes. Screens with smaller holes trap more small particles on top. So what about gutter filters?
The simplest solution is some kind of gutter screen. When water is poured on the screen it readily runs through the holes. This fine material will readily pass through the diamond-shaped holes. Capillary action makes the water try to stick to the surface of the gutter cover. On a rain gutter cover, the lip of the cover is positioned so the debris falls outside the rain gutter, but the water falling from the tab falls inside the gutter.
Unless you are alert for small signs like this, water damage can go unchecked, emerging only when it has caused serious damage to your home.
1) Water Stains
Stains on your drywall are the most obvious sign of interior water damage. If water lines inside your home are leaking, you may be able to tell by reading your water meter.
Spotting Exterior Problems
A leaky roof, poor drainage around your home and clogged or leaky rain gutters are the biggest causes of exterior leaks.
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