Gutters

GUTTERS

Clearing out gutters thoroughly is very worthwhile. Blocked gutters are one of the main causes of damp walls.

If clearing out your gutters, use a stand-off frame attached near the upper end of your ladder so that the ladder leans against the wall rather than the gutter while the ladder extends above the gutter allowing you to attend to clearing the gutter from slightly above it.

While clearing the gutter, block the top of the downpipes, for example with a rag, to prevent any debris subsequently lodging in the downpipe.

Installing a central downpipe and sloping the gutter down to it from each end halves the weight of rainwater on the gutter compared to having it at one end.

A useful way to make sure you saw a plastic pipe off squarely is to tape paper tightly around it then saw against the end of the paper.