Sometimes hurricane-force winds tear off gutters or cause trees to come crashing down on them. However, if you have the right gutters, more often than not, they’ll be able to stand up to the torrential rain, hail and strong wind gusts that come with the less severe — but still potentially damaging — thunderstorms that are common in the summer.
How to Prepare Gutters for Summer Storms
With summer just a few weeks away, now is the time to prepare your home and gutter system for strong summer storms. It’s essential for your gutters to be able to adequately direct water away from the house in order to prevent foundation damage. Below we’ve shared the steps to take to prepare your gutters for the summer season.
- Clean any leaves, twigs, pine needles and other debris out of them.
- Do the same for your downspouts, then run water through them to make sure there are no unseen clogs remaining.
- Check the fasteners that attach your gutters to your roofline. Are they all tight? If the fasteners are loose, either replace them or add an additional one at the point of weakness.
- Check the fasteners which attach your downspouts to the side of the house. If they aren’t as tight as they should be, replace the fastener or add another metal clip to secure the downspout.
- Inspect the gutters and downspouts for holes and cracks, and repair any that you find with caulk or sealant. After all, you don’t want water trickling through these openings into your house.
- Check the seams of your gutters and downspouts. If they’re separating or have become completely detached, you’ll need to repair them; otherwise, these will be the weakest link of your drainage system and could fail during a heavy storm. Refasten and recaulk these seams or replace an entire gutter section if necessary. The same goes for downspout seams and connectors.
- Trim back tree limbs that are too close to the house. Overgrown limbs could fall on top of your gutters and either crush the metal or cause sections of guttering to detach from your house entirely. A good rule of thumb is to leave at least three feet between any limbs and your roofline.
Protect Your Gutters With Gutter Helmet®
To further protect your gutters this summer, consider installing a Gutter Helmet® gutter protection system. To learn all about this unique system, you can contact us by calling (800) 824-3772.