As we head into the cooler months, preparing and keeping your gutters well maintained is highly important. Due to the trees beginning to shed their leaves and increased rainfall, ensuring that your gutters are maintained throughout autumn is important in reducing damage and any other issues. We at Jim’s Mowing are trusted gutter experts, so we know how best to handle your gutters and prevent them from becoming clogged. Here are our easy tips and tricks to how you can keep your gutters in shape for the colder months.

Clean your gutters

With increased rainfall during the cooler months, it’s essential to have an effective water drainage system. To prevent flooding and other issues, you should make sure your gutters remain clear throughout autumn. Debris such as fallen leaves, seeds, and dust can accumulate on your gutters and block the guttering system which can create issues like waterlogging and flooding.

In addition, by making sure your gutters are clean, you effectively decrease the chances of mould growth and pest infestations. If you want to do this chore, make sure you observe important safety cleaning precautions. You can also make sure you thoroughly clean your gutters by flushing it using a garden hose after removing all the debris and gunk. This is also a good way for you to spot leaks on your gutters. It’s also recommended that you use a professional gutter cleaning service due to the numerous benefits they provide including doing a thorough clean without putting yourself at risk.

Perform regular maintenance

While cleaning the gutters, check for leaks, loose brackets and screws, uneven sections, and any form of excessive wear and tear. If there are loose brackets and screws, buy new ones, replace the old ones, and secure them where needed. If you discover any leaks, determine if it is possible to patch them. You can apply plastic roofing cement over the holes to smaller holes and won’t need to replace them. If the holes are too big, apply a strip of aluminium flashing to the area and seal the edges with cement.

Invest in gutter guards

If you want to make sure that leaves and debris don’t accumulate on your gutter, and to save yourself the effort of regularly cleaning it, consider investing in a gutter guard system. This completely seals open gutters to reduce or prevent the autumn debris build-up on your roof which can cause permanent damage. With the right gutter guard screening system, debris can just slide or blow off the roof. This can heavily reduce the amount of maintenance you need to perform and ensure your gutters are safe and protected.

Protect your gutter from pests

Finally, aside from falling leaves and rainfall, autumn is also the time that pushes pests to start invading roofs and gutters. Rodents and birds are the number one culprits. Residents in NSW, for instance, constantly wage war against sparrows since they love nesting in gutters, causing this system to become blocked. You can avoid this problem by using a humane pest repellent product. Alternatively, if you decide to invest in a gutter guard, choose one that can effectively keep out both creeping and flying vermin as well.

Enlist the experts

There is nothing easy about keeping your gutters well maintained during the autumn season. If you don’t have time, energy or desire to look after your gutters, it’s best to get help from the professionals! They will be able to efficiently clean your gutters, perform any required maintenance and repairs, and even install your new gutter guards. Chat to the expert team at Jim’s Mowing to learn more!