How to Clean Gutters & Install Gutter Guards

[Music] hey I'm Erin cleaning your gutters may seem like a project that can wait but putting it off can actually create more work and more costly repairs later in this video I'm going to show you how to clean your gutters and install gutter guards to help avoid any debris buildup in the future I'll show you how to do it right let's get started you want to clean your gutters at least twice a year once in the spring and then once again in the fall however you also want to check them before and after any heavy rain showers just to make sure that your gutters are still clear cleaning is typically easiest when the weather and the debris you have had a few days to dry out but that is not always an option and sometimes you are gonna have to deal with wet leaves leaves and twigs can build up over time and really clog your gutters and your downspouts this means your gutters can overflow and really damage your roof and fascia and even worse end up along the foundation of your house the good news is that all this water damage is avoidable if you just take a few simple steps to deter it the best way to access your gutters is with a ladder leave working from the roof to the pros also if you're just uncomfortable on a ladder or if you've got power lines near your gutters call a professional to help when using a ladder always set it on solid stable and level ground this ladder has an adjustable leg for uneven ground just be sure to follow the safety instructions noted on the side of the ladder for a two-story home you'll need an extension ladder a handy tip is to use hooks to attach a bucket for tools or debris or you can just drop your debris onto plastic or a drop cloth on the ground just make sure that your ladder is not sitting on the plastic you'll want to wear your work gloves when you're cleaning gutters because you may come in contact with some sharp metal if you're working with wet debris consider wearing nitrile gloves under your work gloves okay so now it's time to get to work you're gonna begin by removing any debris near the downspout first also remove and clear any downspout strainers if you have them a trout comes in handy when cleaning packed in and caked on material or you might find that just using your hands works better flush the rest of the debris with a hose a gutter cleaning attachment can be helpful to start at the far end and move toward the downspout try not to spray under the shingles if your gutters not draining chances are you've got a clog in your downspout so because this downspout is one solid piece we're gonna take off the band's to remove it the downspout should just slide out then flush it out with the hose and reattach if you have a short piece of downspout running into a drainage system remove just that short piece I covered the open pipe with a bucket just in case there's a lot of debris that comes out now you can feed the hose nozzle up the spout spraying with full pressure to release the clog if that doesn't work try a drum augur sometimes called a plumber snake feed it up through the downspout when it gets stopped lock the collar and spin the line as you feed it into the downspout then pull it back you can also use this auger with a drill once you break through the clog reattach everything and flush the gutters again with the hose if you notice standing water this means your gutter isn't correctly pitched to fix this issue detach the hangers and adjust the gutter to get the correct slope for proper water flow I used a level to make sure it was sloping downward the ideal slope is a quarter to a half inch decline for every 20 feet of gutter running toward the downspout and installing additional hangers can help with sagging gutters so now we're going to fix any leaks that we have for best results you want to make sure that your gutters are completely dry and then run a bead of gutter sealant over the seam this is a good time to clean your gutter exteriors as well as touch up your gutters and downspouts with a little paint so now that your gutters are cleaned out and sealed up you may want to consider adding gutter guards they're really easy to install and they keep most debris out of your gutters there are a variety of options available follow the manufacturer's instructions for installation this type slides under the shingles and can be secured with screws once your gutter guards are installed you're still gonna have to check in the spring in the fall to make sure that they're clear take a small brush and just brush off the top and then run the hose just to clear out any small debris that's managed to find its way into the system maintaining your gutters is a simple project that's well worth the time and effort and now you know how to do a race [Music]

Channel: Lowe's Home Improvement

Views: 289,470

Keywords: how, to, diy, lowe's, lowes, how-to, how to clean gutters, clean gutters, install gutter guard, install gutter screens, how to install gutter guards, how to clean gutter downspout, clogged downspout, clogged downspout drain pipe, clean gutter downspout, clean gutters easy, cleaning gutters, clean gutters how to, gutter cleaning, install gutter screen, how to clean gutter, gutter guard installation, gutter guard install, how to clean leaves from gutters, spray gutters

Id: nkFf5r7dtF8

Length: 5min 0sec (300 seconds)

Published: Sat Sep 28 2019