Tip Top Eaves – Expert gutter maintenance and repair is essential if you want your home to be dry and free of mold.

Homeowners usually don’t have the roofing, gutter and siding expertise needed to ensure that gutters and downspouts work properly. However, this skill isn’t particularly difficult to learn, and if you don’t want to bring in an expert like gutter repair Toronto to see to it whenever there’s a problem, you will have to learn to do it yourself..

It doesn’t really matter where you live, the procedure is pretty much the same for gutter repair. Ontario, British Columbia or even in Timbuktu – gutter repair worldwide doesn’t change much. Gutters leak, they block, they come away from the wall, they get damaged by storms, snow, ice, too much heat in summer, too much rain in winter – in short, wherever there’s weather, gutters are subject to a lot of wear and tear over time.

Repairs to gutters means climbing ladders and getting up high. There is risk involved, of course, so if you’d prefer to leave it to the experts, that’s understandable. Otherwise, do your homework on all the safety aspects of the job if you intend doing it yourself.

You will need a good, strong sturdy ladder, one with wide rubber feet to ensure proper grounding. You will also need a reliable assistant to hold the ladder – don’t climb high ladders on your own. You will need the proper tools and an understanding of what you are looking for, and what you need to do when you find the problem.

Gutters and downspouts will develop holes through rust, or through getting punctured by falling branches in storms, or in many other possible ways. Inspect your gutters a foot at a time, looking carefully along all of the interior surface. Clean out any debris you find, and carefully inspect the exposed areas after the debris has been removed.

If you find any holes or punctures, they will need to be repaired. Large holes or parts that have eroded away can be repaired by fitting in a new section of gutter. Small holes and leaks should be repaired with a sealer recommended by the gutter manufacturer.

You will need to have the interior of the gutter spotlessly clean and dry. Then apply the sealer where the leak or hole is. Apply it liberally as it will shrink as it dries out. Then spread it out to cover the leaking area, making sure it adheres properly to the inside of the gutter.

When the rains come heavy in the fall and winter, it’s always good to know that the water is being carried away in the manner it was designed to and not leaking from your gutters and downspouts in a way that is undermining your basement, collecting along the foundation of your house, building up hydrostatic pressure and just waiting to seep into the house with all the severe damp problems that will eventually cause. There’s no fun in living in a damp home with mold, after all.