Australia is a country known for its dangers, meaning the most important part of living here is knowing how to prevent them. And suprisingly gutter cleaning is one clear way to help you, but how?
From its wildlife to the weather there is always a threat, but a risk that a lot of people do not consider is their house gutters.
Your gutters are a useful tool made for keeping water out of your home. Having a build-up of leaves, twigs and any wildlife that decides to make a home out of them, is putting your life in danger.
The effects of rust, gutter overflow and fire hazards are all hazards you are creating if you’re not cleaning your gutters regularly.
These are some known and unknown risks of living with blocked gutters:
Gutter Overflow
The most obvious risk of not cleaning your gutters is ‘Gutter Overflow’.
A gutters purpose is to collect rainwater running off your roof and dispensing it into the appropriate place. Overflow generally occurs when there is a high volume of rain at once. Homes with blocked gutters will experience a waterfall of water. Having loose leaves and twigs in them can create blockages and these are generally caused by the trees surrounding a home.
The worst case scenario is experiencing the gutter overflow waterfalls inside your home. It can cause damage that can cost thousands of dollars in repairs.
The unfortunate part of living in Australia is having somewhat unpredictable weather.
For states like Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales, it is having inconsistent and unexpected rainfall that can catch you off guard. For Queensland, it is the storm season that can put your home in danger as the rainfall is of high volumes. Gutter cleaning regularly is a key to ensuring your home is safe in the wet season.
Bushfire Risk
From one extreme to another. Australia’s weather can be a risk all year round, this threat extending to your gutters.
It is known for Australia to have very hot and dry summers which cause bushfires.
For example, in 2009 a report declared that the average amount of bushfires in Australia a year is around 50,000. Within these 50,000 bushfires, your home could be at risk.
There are many ways to prepare your home for bushfire season, the majority are based around landscaping. Your garden is the biggest hazard in bushfire season hence the reason Australia now conducts back burning. What most people forget is that your garden can extend to your gutters.
Knowing how to prevent bushfires from starting in your home begins with gutter cleaning. During these hot and dry seasons the vegetation that sits in your gutters dry out and become even more flammable. The essentially turn into a source of kindling for any bushfire embers floating around. To ensure your home is not in danger during bushfire season, clean your gutters beforehand. Having dirty gutters is not worth risking your life.
But believe it or not, there are many other fire hazards involved in blocked gutters.
They are less likely to occur but are still a caution you should think about. The minor objects that can set your home alight can be a bonfire out the back or a cigarette.
Like the bushfire embers, the cigarette or bonfire embers can reach the ‘kindling’ and start a fire. Another danger is lightning if it was to ever hit your home and lastly fireworks. Debris and embers are found in many different forms year-round and should be something you keep in mind.
Toxic and Rusted Gutters
Although rusted gutters are not as confronting as bushfires, it is something that can be life-threatening.
Why? Well, because a build-up of leaves and animals in your gutters allows water to be stored instead of being drained.
This sitting water can cause many things to happen from your gutter rusting to mould growing. The biggest risk is for gutters or down pipes that lead to water tanks. Being a country that has been through many droughts water tanks are very common. The tanks can be used for gardening, to washing products and even as drinking water. These rusted and mouldy gutters can contaminate your water unknowingly leaving your family with uncertain water.
If you do not own a water tank, the effects of mould and rust are still hefty on your wallet.
Having leaking gutters can do the same damage as gutter overflow but instead of your gutters needing cleaning, they need repairing. This will leave you out of pocket replacing them or hiring someone to replace them. An unknown fact is that houses that live in more polluted places such as cities and near freeways having a higher chance of leaking gutters. The toxicity in the air can cause rain pollution equating in your gutters holding onto very unhealthy water. Regular gutter cleaning, if you live in these areas, will increase the lifespan of them.
How often should gutter cleaning be completed?
Based on the above risks, it is always helpful to check the state of your gutters a few times a year. Professionals do suggest gutter cleaning to be completed a couple of times a year. Though it does depend on your surroundings, location and weather. The times you should definitely check and clean your gutters should be the starts of a fire or rain season. It also depends on how much foliage surrounds your home, the more you have, the more often your gutters should be cleaned.
How do you clean your gutters?
There are many ways you can clean your gutters but it is a very risky activity.
Not knowing the proper tools or techniques can put you in danger, especially if you are working on a building higher than one storey. You can hire tools to help you get the job done from places such as Bunnings.
You can also find a litter of different techniques to clean your gutters on the internet. These are all helpful if completed properly but may not be the most efficient. The safest way to get your gutters cleaned is hiring a service to do it for you. This way you can guarantee that all the gutters are cleaned properly within a suitable amount of time.
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