Winter Checklist for Gutters
1. Use a ladder to visually inspect your gutter.
2. With gloves and whatever tools you need, empty the visible parts of the gutters.
3. When you think the gutter is debris-free, run water from a hose through the entire system.
4. If water has come out of the gutter closest to the bottom, congratulations! Your gutter is clean.
4a. If water has not come out of the gutter closest to the bottom, use a high-pressure hose to get the inside of the gutter.
4b. If you have removed as much debris from the inside of the gutter as possible and water still will not come out, you may need your gutters repaired.
1. Use a ladder to visually inspect your gutter.
There is not a better tool for measuring the cleanliness of your gutters than your eyes. Using a secure ladder, look at the gutters attached to your home thoroughly. This way, you can make note of what areas to clean and what areas you may need to put gutter leaf guards on.
You could attempt to fish around the gutters from the ground using a telescoping wand. However, this may cause more work for you in the long run because you are guessing at what the contents of your gutters are. While these attachments are available, we recommend safely using a ladder and looking for yourself.
2. With gloves and whatever tools you need, empty the visible parts of the gutters.
Much like the visual inspection, there are telescoping wands that can help you with cleaning the gutters. Using high-pressure water flow, the water can blast out any debris you may have seen during your inspection, flushing out the drain and leaving it clean as a whistle.
However, nothing beats a clean that you can see with your eyes. That’s why we still recommend doing it by climbing a ladder and cleaning the gutter by hand. That way, you can get visual confirmation of a job well done instead of guessing at the quality.
3. When you think the gutter is debris-free, run water from a hose through the entire system.
Now that you have confirmed the drain is free, you will need to run water through the whole system. You can do this with a telescoping wand, which will allow the water flow to get to the hard to reach areas of the gutter.
Before you let the water flow, make sure you have a firm connection with the hose. That way, you are sure that water can flow through the gutters before you turn the hose on for the first time post clean.
4. If water has come out of the gutter closest to the bottom, congratulations! Your gutter is clean.
To ensure that the gutters don’t get clogged again, make sure you invest in a gutter leaf guard. That way, you will not have to work as hard to clear debris that shouldn’t have been there.
Additionally, make sure all trees and any other possible sources of debris are free and clear of your gutter area. This requires regular trimmings of the greenery around your home. Keep it clean and tidy around the house and your gutter cleaning days will be over.
4a. If water has not come out of the gutter closest to the bottom, use a high-pressure hose to get the inside of the gutter.
If you have confirmed with your own eyes that the gutters are clean, but water is still not coming out, you may have a blockage within one of the pipes directing the water downward. If this is the case, you will need something a bit stronger than your arms to remove it.
A high-pressure hose or even a spigot on an ordinary hose will focus high pressure on problematic areas of the gutters. This should force any troublesome debris down and out, resting comfortably at the foot of the downspout.
4b. If you have removed as much debris from the inside of the gutter as possible and water still will not come out, you may need your gutters repaired.
If you have blasted the downspout with high-pressure water and have confirmed that everything is good and clean, you have a bigger problem than a dirty gutter. Your need some serious gutter repair. At some point, debris could have knocked the gutter out of alignment, which could lock in debris and compact it badly.
When this happens, call your gutter repair experts at American Hill Country Gutters, your source for all of your gutter needs in the San Antonio area. They need to be worked on as soon as possible before greater damage to your home occurs.
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