Property Maintenance Issues: Gutter Repairs After Snow Damage
Unfortunately, for home owners the snow which excites children can leave the adults with a list of repairs to their property. The recent snowy weekend in the UK has caused several problems one of which is broken or damaged gutters.
Working on the basis your gutter has either split, dropped, slipped or snapped, the following repair procedures are applicable for all cases.
Presuming the gutter is on a first floor height, the first challenge you have is accessing the gutter, as not everyone carries a ladder in their back garden. Visit your local DIY store and purchase a strong ladder adequate to reach the height of your gutter. When purchasing a ladder ensure it is correct for the job. Measure the rough height of the gutter or work area and ensure the ladder can reach beyond this measurement. When setting up the ladder, always have a sufficient angle between the ladder, house and ground. gutter repair If the angle is to steep the ladder call tip backward. If the ladder is too angled the ladder could slip away from the resting platform. Always keep at least one hand and one foot on the ladder at all times. Never reach out from a ladder, if you do this you may distribute your balance incorrectly and slip. Every ladder will come with a how to manual. If you need additional advice read this before use.
Once you can access the gutter and assuming the gutter section needs replacing start to un-clip the gutter section from each of its supports. A typical gutter is five metres long and the supports are one metre apart. At both ends of the gutter you will find joining brackets which connect onto the next section of gutter. These can be un-clipped the same way as the supports. Un-clip all brackets and supports and carefully remove the gutter. If two people are required, then another ladder will be needed or, you can cut the gutter into small sections and remove this bit by bit.
Having removed the damaged gutter you need to fit a new one. You can take the small section of your guttering to any DIY store or builder’s merchant. Stores will match and provide the correct materials. Depending on the style and age of the guttering length you may find the guttering cannot be sourced at the well known DIY stores. This is because they sell the main brands. If this is the case then try visiting a plastic, steel, or cast iron merchant to see if they can source the material you need.
When you return and are ready to fit the new gutter length, ensure all brackets are strong and can take the weight. Try screwing the brackets in again to make them little tighter. Place the new gutter length on top of the brackets and joining support. Clip the gutter into place one by one. This typically takes twenty minutes to clip in all gutter brackets. Finally test the guttering is water proof with a small amount of water in a watering can.