Anyone who has lived in Melbourne knows that when winter settles in you have at least three months of cold weather, grey skies and wind and rain. And if you haven’t already gotten on top of your gutter cleaning in Melbourne, you could be in for a tough winter.
Why you need to prepare your roof and gutters now
If your roof and gutters aren’t ready for winter wind and rain, you could be setting yourself up for a range of problems, some that may be costly to fix.
Through the winter months, your gutters and down pipes will have extra work to do. If they haven’t been recently cleaned they are more likely to get clogged. Uncleaned gutters can lead to serious consequences including water damage as water pools on your roof and overflows your gutters.
Clogged and overflowing gutters can cause a range of water damage from leaks in your roof and ceiling, to electrical damage to cracks in your home’s foundations. And any of these can come with some serious roof repair bills.
The best way to avoid these issues is to get your roof and gutters cleaned before winter settles in. Here’s what you need to do.
- Clean out the gutters
To ensure your gutters can cope with winter rain and won’t overflow or leak, they need to be free of dirt and debris, like leaves and twigs.
Using a ladder, remove any matter in your gutters. It’s safer to remain on the ladder while cleaning the gutters, rather than getting up on the roof and risk damaging the roofing materials and structure. - Check the gutters
Read the signs when your gutters need cleaning and once your gutters are clean, it’s important to check them for any signs of damage. Ideally, cleaning your gutters should mean they’re good-to-go, but all that debris might have been hiding other problems.Start by looking for any rust or holes. This sort of damage can occur when water has been pooling in your gutters. If your gutter has started to rust or rusted through, you’ll need to replace the section to stop the damage getting any worse. Next check if any sections of gutter are sagging or pulling away from the roof. Gutter systems aren’t designed to hold much weight. If they’ve been clogged with wet leaves and debris they may be carrying more weight than they should. You may need to reattach sagging sections or replace them entirely. If a gutter section has pulled away from the roof, it may have done damage to the fascia boards behind. Check that the wood has not rotted or been broken. If it has, you will need to repair or replace the board along with the guttering section. Damage to these boards can let water into your roof space, which can cause serious damage to your food structure, ceiling, insulation and electrics. - Check the roof
While you’ve got the ladder out, carefully look over your roof for cracked or missing tiles or shingles. If there are any, these will need to be fixed to prevent water getting inside your roof. Don’t forget to check flashing as well. If this has started to wear or pull away, water can get into your roof. - Check potential access points
Check the roof for any hidey holes or access points that could appeal to creatures looking for warmth. While they might not necessarily cause water damage, animals like rats, possums and birds can get inside your roof and cause a mess. They may tear up insulation for bedding and damage electrical wires, causing power shorts or cuts. Missing tiles and shingles are good entry points but so are fan vents. Be thorough, because if a creature can slip through, rain can too. Then you’ll be left with both a pest bill and a water damage bill. - Call in the professionals
Preparing your roof and gutters for winter is a straightforward job but it should be done carefully and thoroughly. Of course, not everyone is an expert when it comes to roof and gutter conditions. It can be easy to miss a cracked tile or slightly sagging gutter if you don’t have a lot of experience. And you could end up really paying for it by spring.
That’s why the Himalayas Group recommends calling the professionals for help. Gutter cleaning is made easy with the help of experts based in Melbourne, who can ensure your roof and gutters are ready for even the wettest winter day. To book a service today, call 0415 841 606.
