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How To Safely Conduct Gutter Maintenance

By Jason Fisher


Rainwater harvesting is essential to people living in areas where water shortage is experienced during the dry seasons. Moreover, gutters that are not cleaned for a long time are clogged with debris that prevents water from flowing smoothly to the designated place. As such, water spills on the fascia boards hastening the rotting process hence giving the home a shabby look. However, climbing the rooftop for the first time to clear the mess is endangering and fearsome for every homeowner. Below are tips that will help you conduct gutter maintenance without inviting an expert.

Considering the dangers involved in climbing rooftops, you should notify a few people before ascending there. As such, they will be making a look at how you are doing and can come to your risk in case you fall. However, you cannot reach there if you are not using the right ladder. Ladders that are four-legged work better in a single story building but if the rooftop is a few landings up, use an extension ladder.

Wooden ladders are not encouraged for this function due to their wobbliness a situation that makes it difficult to keep balance. It is recommendable you use fiberglass ladders due to their sturdiness although they may be a little heavier. Instances, where you might get tired moving ladders from one roof to the other, it is wiser for you to use an aluminum ladder because it is sturdy and light in weight.

Before you think of going to the rooftop, you have to assemble and pack all the gadgets that will be useful for cleaning and clearing debris from the gutters. Find a hose with a good nozzle that will help in producing pressurized water that will be necessary for cleaning all the gutters. The hose can be bought from the hardware.

Considering that debris accumulates from leaves spread by the nearby trees and other rubbish blown over by strong winds, you must use a strong scooping gadget. Most people would go for steel made scoopers due to their durability, but they are not the best. They scratch the gutters leaving marks that enhance rusting process. Therefore buy plastic scooping devices and enjoy a rust free gutter.

Climbing the rooftop and working on the gutters using bare hands is a health hazard. Find gloves that will help protect your hands from rotting debris that might be containing droppings from the birds that might have bacteria. They also help prevent cuts from torn metal which could be more painful. Cotton gloves, rubber gloves, and leather gloves can get soaked or prick easily. Therefore consider buying thick suede gloves which are made using rubber, thin leather, and superior cotton.

The higher you go, the stronger the winds become. Working on top using naked eyes is hazardous and if you take a lot of time there, consider buying a helmet that will protect against winds and cheeky birds. Additionally, the helmet will be very helpful in preventing high magnitude injuries when you fall accidentally.

When people are performing manual works, they wear gumboots and safety shoes. However, these types of shoes are the worst for anyone working on a rooftop. To safeguard yourself from falling, wear rubber shoes that have grips and avoid stepping on moist grounds.




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