Keeping gutters clean
Nov 21, 2011
It is that time of year again when we can expect bad weather with significant amounts of rain and snow, theoretically at least.
It is also that time of year when trees shed their leaves and these inevitably, will end up in your gutters and valley gutters. If the leaves are left to accumulate over a period of time could lead to the gutters and drainage pipes becoming clogged with material which will, at best, hinder the efficiency of your gutters and, at worst, completely block the system up.
Whilst this may not initially cause a problem with normal rainfall it could become a significant problem in the event of a storm or very icy conditions. If the system is blocked this could result in rainwater getting into the building which, if the storm is severe enough, could cause flooding and water damage to internal fittings and stock etc within the building with resultant disruption to your business.
Icy conditions could result in water, which hasn’t been able to escape, freezing within the guttering system and the resultant increased weight could cause the guttering to collapse and, in addition, any rapid thawing could again cause flooding within the building.
This position can be avoided by routine clearing of any gutters on buildings or holiday homes to avoid an accumulation of material in the guttering systems and this should allow a free flow of water out of the system. This will, in turn, avoid any disruption to your business and also the need to make an insurance claim which may impact on your insurance premiums in forthcoming years.
Valley gutters are particularly susceptible to this problem and they may need clearing more often at certain times of the year to avoid any problems when the inevitable bad weather arrives.
Please remember that clearing gutters can be dangerous. Make sure the people doing the work are competent and that they are using the most suitable access equipment, (ladders, stepladders or scaffolding etc.) and non-essential people are kept away.
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