Five most common gutter and downspout problems
As the temps here in Georgia finally start to fall, we’re able to get back outside and start prepping the house for the cold weather to come. One of the things we’re about to do is get the roof cleaned off (our trees drop a lot of pine straw, here, which inevitably lands in the gutters and clogs up the works). The other thing we’re doing is a thorough inspection of our rain gutters and downspouts to make sure they’re ready for winter. It’s one of the ways we keep this 30-year old ranch house healthy.
Gutter pros say these are the five most common gutter and downspout problems to look for:
- leaking gutters
- sagging gutters
- loose downspouts
- overflowing gutters
- water pooling near the downspouts
Not all of these conditions are obvious, but all can cause bigger problems if left unattended, particularly when the snow and ice start building up, which is why doing a regular inspection is a good idea. Since we’re thinking about it, we figure some of you must be, too, so we put up a short article on the ranchrevival site to share easy fixes for the five problems above. None of them need professional level skills. Just a sturdy ladder and maybe someone to assist. Need we say be safe out there?
P.S. I know you’re going to ask, with all the pine straw, why don’t we get gutter covers? Still haven’t found a product that really works for pine needles. If you’ve got something you know works, by all means, let me know.
