South Africa, especially Johannesburg and Pretoria, is lucky in the sense that we don’t have to worry too much about the effect of snow and ice on our homes in the winter months. But that doesn’t mean we can sit back and not take care of them, because winter does have harsh effects on our homes, especially our gutters. Most of us take our household gutters for granted. But they have a tough job to do, especially in winter!
Here’s how we at Easy Flow Gutters suggest you take care of your gutters in the winter months;
Inspect your gutters
Get gutter installation and maintenance specialist, Easy Flow Gutters, to come and inspect your gutters before winter sets in. That way you won’t have any nasty surprises come the middle of winter
Check the crawlspace in your roof.
The crawlspace of your roof is an important thing to check before the winter months. While it is unlikely to snow in South Africa, we do get sleet so leaks need to be checked for and the insulation needs to be done correctly. Its best to keep your roof cool, because if it starts to sleet, you don’t want there to be a runoff of water and as a result overwhelming the gutters.
Install Gutter Guards
Gutter guards reduce debris which is important because debris can cause blockages which in turn could cause weight bearing damage to your gutters, or floods – which is costly to fix. See more of our blogs on gutter guards, or see our brand-new Gutter Guard product; Gutter No Clutter
Replace your old roof
If your roof is over 15 years old, you need to consider replacing some, if not all, of it. Older roofs are expensive to replace, but the damage a leaking roof can do is costlier. It’s easier to stop something happening in the first place than to repair the damage after it has happened.
Inspect seams and anchors
If you do not have seamless household gutters (contact us!) you need to check for leaks in the seams, as well as checking that there are no gaps between your fascia boards and gutters.
By using some of these suggestions, you can reinforce the strength and efficiency of your home’s gutter system, ensuring that you are kept safe and warm in winter!
