Cleaning Your Eaves trough

Now that the weather is warm, there are a few things you should do to maintain your home.  Cleaning your eaves troughs is one important task.  With the rain we have seen this spring, this is even more important.

What is eaves trough? Eavestroph is the gutter that is fixed underneath your roof. As rainwater falls, it is collected in the gutters from your roof and is drained from the gutters to the ground through downspouts.  To best protect your home’s foundation, it is best that your downspouts be disconnected.   If your downspouts are connected to your drainage system, you should have them disconnected.  Over several months, debris such as leaves and twigs will accumulate in the eaves troughs.  As this builds up in the gutter or downspouts, it will prevent proper drainage and will need to be cleaned out.  The amount of debris depends on how many deciduous trees surround your home. 

How do I clean my eaves troughs?  Cleaning eaves trough for single-storey houses is fairly easy.  If you clean them regularly in the fall and in the spring, each cleaning will be easier. To get started you will need some simple tools.  You will need a sturdy ladder, heavy-duty work gloves, a garden trowel, two buckets, a yard waste bag and a garden hose. 

There are 3 steps:

1) Setup your ladder with 2 buckets, one for your tools and one in which to collect debris.  Remember to never use the top two steps on the ladder and to not over-reach when on a ladder,

2) Remove debris from the eaves troughs and downspouts using your trowel into your debris bucket,

3) Pass water through the eaves troughs using a hose to clean remaining debris and make sure your downspouts are properly draining.  

To make completing the job easier, you may want to look at some eaves troughs or gutter cleaning tools.  You can get gutter extensions for a leaf blower or for a water pressure to help with job.  You can also find special gutter cleaning trowels. 

If you are uncomfortable climbing ladders and your home has more than a single-storey, it may be in your best interest to hire this cleaning out at a cost of approximately $100-200, depending on the size of your home.  

David Gharat www.housecondopro.com