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Gutter Maintenance

Regular maintenance is the key to keeping your home gutter
system intact. Making sure that your gutters have no bent areas
is one suggestion made by those who help you prepare your home
for sale. Clean and well maintained gutters add to your home's
sale-ability.

Most home improvement experts suggest that you clean your
gutters twice yearly. If your gutters are clogged with debris
such as leaves and twigs the rain will not run off or drain
properly. It's important to make sure that the rain isn't
spilling over the top of your gutter and onto your foundation.
Over time this can cause damage to the home's foundation.

It is suggested that you clean your gutters in the Fall after
all the leaves have fallen from the surrounding trees, and in
the Spring. While you're cleaning your gutters you will want to
inspect them for any holes or rust through. Make sure there are
no loose nails. Check to make sure the gutters are securely
fastened to the house.

After you have removed all the debris from the gutter you'll
want to rinse any remaining debris down the gutter and into the
downspout with your garden hose. This will also help you to make
sure that your downspout isn't clogged with debris. If you find
the water not running into the downspout you can remove the
downspout, clean it and then replace it.

Make sure that the water running out of the downspout is being
properly diverted with the use of a plastic or concrete
diverter. You don't want the water emptying out on the ground
where it will cause erosion.

Gutter guards have become very popular and do away with the
problem of having to clean your gutters, although they will
still need twice yearly inspection. For a do-it-yourself type
installing gutter guards isn't a big deal, and, it could save
you thousands of dollars over having the gutter guards
installed by professionals.

Some people think that gutter guards are very expensive and not
worth the money. While gutter guards prevent large leaves from
entering the gutter they do not stop much smaller natural
debris such as seeds, buds, small pieces of bark and twigs or
evergreen needles. All this type of natural matter breaks down
over time to form debris in your gutter. Also, debris can build
up over the gutter guard screening that will have to be manually
cleaned off. Some have found that gutter guards actually cause
them more problems.

About The Author: This article courtesy of
http://www.about-gutters.com