In order to keep your home’s exterior safe from insidious water damage, your gutters must be well-maintained. While environmental and climatic factors play a big role in the wear and tear gutters are subjected to, there are ways to protect your aluminum gutters from harm.
When Using a Ladder
Aluminum as a gutter material is very versatile – lightweight, easy to install, and rust/corrosion resistant. However, the one drawback of aluminum gutters is that they dent more readily than other types of gutter material. When doing home maintenance, using a ladder stand-off or ladder stabilizer will allow you to rest the ladder against the wall instead of directly against the gutters.
When Cleaning the Gutters
You can protect your aluminum gutters by using the right techniques and products when cleaning the gutter system. Tips to prevent denting gutter sections and scratching the finish include:
- No power washer – it can push water behind the gutters and lead to “soft” spots (wood rot) that weaken the fascia
- Cleaning the inside and outside of the gutters with earth friendly products
- Using plastic gutter cleaning tools
- Cleaning with soft bristle brushes and cloths made of natural materials
When it’s Windy
The trees in your backyard provide shade, control soil erosion, manage runoff, and clean the air. But when it’s windy, waving tree limbs, flying branches and bits of twigs can dent the gutters and downspouts. An intense wind storm might even shake gutter sections loose. To protect your gutters from wind storms:
- Plant trees a minimum of two feet away from the exterior wall of the house
- If trees are growing too close, trim overhanging branches as needed
- Ensure trees are healthy – sick or dying trees can become brittle or unstable in windy conditions
- Regularly inspect aluminum gutters for cracks (repair) and loose brackets (tighten) – strong winds could make existing cracks worse and dislodge gutter sections
When Maintaining the Gutters
Good home maintenance is good preventative medicine. When maintaining the gutters, do the following:
- Conduct inspections after storms and in between gutter cleanings
- Have the roof professionally inspected every two or three years – a roofing pro will be able to tell you if the fascia is holding up or the soffits need replacing or there are missing shingles
- When you discover a problem with the roofing system (missing tiles, mold growth, sagging gutter sections), assess the damage – determine if it’s something you can DIY or if you’ll need to call a roofing contractor or a gutter specialist
- Don’t ignore “minor” repairs – if you leave them long enough they won’t stay minor
When You have a lot of Trees
A lot of trees on the property can mean a lot of leaves and/or pine needles landing in your aluminum gutters. Installing gutter guards will help reduce the amount of debris that ends up in the gutter system. However, consult a gutter installation company about which kind of leaf protection system would be best for your home’s exterior. They will take into account the strength or your existing gutter system, the roof configuration, and the types of trees growing near the house.
When there’s Standing Water
If you do gutter cleaning twice a year and the gutter system is relatively debris-free but there is consistently standing water inside the gutters, you could have a pitch problem. Gutters need to be sloped slightly so that water can flow through the gutter channel toward the downspouts. Gutters can become misaligned for a variety of reasons but when they are the gutter pitch needs to be readjusted.
