Blocked Roof Gutters Cost You Money!
Blocked Roof Gutters Cost You Money!
We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.’
I know when Oscar Wilde made his famous statement, he wasn’t actually talking about roof guttering, although in my opinion he should have been. After all, he’d have seen the stars much more clearly from his roof than from the Victorian street gutters below.
But if Oscar had been talking about roof guttering, and if he’d been in the cleaning business like I am, maybe he’d have written something more like this:
‘We all get blocked roof gutters, but some of us clean ‘em out and some of us don’t. If we clean ‘em, we save money. Lots of money. If we don’t…’
Blocked roof gutters are a pain, especially during the winter months. When the temperature drops, standing water turns to ice, which causes cracks and other forms of gutter-damage. Result? Leaks. Costly, unsightly, brick-crumbling leaks.
Our property is valuable. We value our houses: we value our business premises. We pour time, love and money into them – but we don’t all fully appreciate the fact that they need care, protection and maintenance. The British weather has a habit of reminding us, however. Reminding us that, yes, roofline gutters are usually out of sight, and yes, they do indeed say out of sight, out of mind – but no, we can’t afford to adopt that attitude. Unless we have money to throw away, we literally can’t afford it.
The Importance of Well-Maintained Guttering
If you want to guarantee the long-term survival of your buildings, efficient roofline gutters are essential. Your gutters, in conjunction with your watertight roof (it is watertight, isn’t it?) do a vital job. They ensure that rainwater is channelled away from the building safely. And as water is one of the main causes of damage to property, both internal and external, it’s vital that guttering systems are well maintained.
If your gutters are blocked and/or damaged, they’re going to overflow. If that happens, the first casualty will be blemished exterior wall coatings and masonry. Ugly watermarks that tell the world you don’t really care about the state of your property. Less obvious will be the seepage into the building’s interior, which can cause serious structural damage that rarely reveals itself until it reaches an advanced stage. At the very least, water ingress will result in decorative damage: but it can also lead to fungal growth, moulds, insect infestation and dry rot.
And the problems don’t end there. Rainwater that isn’t properly channelled away will saturate the ground at the base of your building. This can cause rising damp and undermine your walls. In the worst cases water will erode your foundations and open the floodgates (ahem) to serious subsidence.
Plastic Good, Plastic Bad…
Plastic is in many ways a remarkable material. Most modern guttering systems are now made from heavy-duty plastic, which is cheap, very easy to maintain and has a long service life. But plastic guttering does have a serious disadvantage when compared with older-style cast iron and other metallic systems – plastic is flexible. If it does become blocked, a plastic gutter will distort under load, and any water overflow caused by the blockage will be greatly accentuated.
We all know that during autumn and winter, falling leaves, accumulations of moss and general wind-blown debris can cause those unwelcome blockages. The rain water backs up, pools, then freezes – and as our old science teachers taught us, ice expands. Under pressure, gutter seals fail, retaining clips pop, anchoring systems slip… In the worst cases you’re looking at complete failure and even collapse of the gutter itself.
So then what do you do? Well, if you’re unwise, you resort to DIY cleaning, which will involve the use of ladders. Guess what? Ladders placed on gutters often cause further damage. And of course, every year, despite safety campaigns, people are injured in falls from ladders. Sadly, some of those people die.
Get Them Cleaned Properly
Considering the potential for further property damage, and the very real danger of falls, injuries and death, the sensible property owner will call out a professional company. When selecting a local contractor it is, of course, important to consider how they operate. Reputable companies will want to work safely and within the law. They will use modern, High Level Vacuum Systems with CCTV cameras – systems that eliminate the need for ladders, thus improving safety, cutting cleaning times, and often reducing cleaning costs. They will also be insured, so in the unlikely event of any accidental damage to your property during the cleaning process, you will be covered.
Fortunately help is at hand and schemes exist to ensure you select a top-rated company.
So the next time you’re in the leaking gutter frantically looking for a star or two, contact:
For further information on Clean 143
Contact; Dina Willis
Clean 143 Window Cleaning Services throughout Lincolnshire
11 Edison Way,
Boston,
Lincolnshire,
PE21 7SP
T: 01205 353115