Are Your Gutters Ready for the Rainy Season?

The purpose of gutters is to keep water away from your home. If your gutters aren't working properly, water damage can occur. Your favorite roofing company at the Lake of the Ozarks wants to help you prepare for the spring rainy season so you can prevent water damage. Avoid costly repairs by following these gutter tips:

Cleaning Your Gutters. 

Routinely cleaning your gutters can help you avoid water damage to your home. Clogged gutter systems will send cascading water down the side of your home, possibly damaging both your siding and foundation. In addition to water damage, gutters full of decaying debris create a nice home for carpenter ants and mosquitoes.

• Rake or power wash any debris off your Lake of the Ozarks roof before attempting to clean your gutters; otherwise, after the next rain, all that debris will run down into your nice clean gutters. 
• Scoop out any leaves and debris from the gutters with either gloved hands or a gutter scoop. 
• Don't use anything metal to scoop debris from your gutters as it can damage the bottom of the gutter and can also introduce areas of rust, or even spread rust that is already present. 
• Wearing gloves can help protect your hands against dirty, rotting leaf debris that often contains bird, pigeon and squirrel droppings that are filled with bacteria, as well as prevent painful cuts. Thick suede gloves are the best option because they won't soak up as much water as cotton and won't get holes poked in them like rubber would. 
• Eye protection is also important as you never know what could come flying out of that downspout while you're cleaning it. 
• Once you've removed large debris, you can use a garden hose with spray nozzle to get small, murky debris out. Be sure to spray toward the downspout so it flows down and out. 
• You'll also want to disconnect the base of the downspout before cleaning to prevent potential clogging further down.
• Once everything is clean, run water down the downspout at full pressure to make sure its completely clear and unclogged. 

For best results, you should clean your gutters two times a year, once in the fall and again in the spring. Additionally, you can look into installing gutter guards to help keep debris out, making them easy to clean when the time comes.

Inspecting Your Gutters. 

In addition to making sure your gutters are clean, you need to make sure they are in proper working condition by inspecting a few things.

• Ensure that your downspouts direct water at least 5-10 feet away from your home. 
• Check that all the spikes go through the gutter, through the fascia board and into the rafter behind it. Over the years, these spikes can work their way out of the holes. In this case you might want to invest in new gutter spikes to make sure your gutters are securely fastened.  
• Look for any sources of leaks, such as holes in the gutters and cracked caulking in the seams. 
• Check out the rivets and downspout. These frequently loosen or drop out completely - use a rivet gun to re-secure them. 
• If your gutters are rusting, they're probably quite old. If this is the case, it's a good idea to have them replaced. Newer gutter systems are made of aluminum and vinyl that won't rust.  

At Above & Beyond Roofing, we do more than just roofing - we can take care of all your siding, soffit, fascia and gutter needs as well! If you notice any issues with your gutters, give us a call at 573-302-0354 to get them repaired or replaced before the spring showers hit. We offer high quality work, professional and personal service, and competitive pricing throughout the entire Lake area.

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"If it needs a roof we can do it ...
from the dog house to your house!"

CALL 573-302-0354 or 573-280-7159

1212 Spring Valley Rd
Osage Beach, MO 65065
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