How to protect your guttering ?

How to maintain your guttering ?

Gutter maintenance is essential to ensure that rainwater drains away properly. When water is unable to drain, it can damage the building. In fact, water trapped in the gutters finds alternative routes, which most often leads to water ingress. If this ingress is not dealt with and the gutters are not cleared, the walls can quickly suffer irreparable damage.  

To maintain your gutters, you must:  

• Position your ladder securely before climbing it. 
• Put on gloves before removing any larger obstructions to protect your hands. 
• Use a vacuum cleaner or hand brush to remove the last of the debris. 
• Fill with water. 
• Check the condition of the gutter and repair if necessary.
• Install gutter protection systems. 

The different gutter protection systems 

To protect your gutters and allow water to flow freely, you need to prevent the build-up of solid debris. However, remember that the structure itself must also be protected from the weather. To do this, you can install:  

A gutter leaf guard: A gutter leaf guard is a type of mesh that is placed over the horizontal part of the gutter. It catches any solid debris that could build up and block the gutter. It does not require any maintenance. 

• A strainer: A strainer is a type of mesh that works in a similar way to a leaf guard but is fitted at the top of a down pipe. It allows water to pass through but has the drawback of needing regular cleaning to be fully functional. 
• A down pipe protector: This guard is positioned around the bottom of the down pipe. Usually made of very solid metal, it protects the pipe against any impacts. 
• A pipe guard: Like the previous system, pipe guards are fixed to the wall around the down pipe in order to protect it from impacts. 

• A down pipe shoe: A downpipe shoe is an angled tube placed at the outlet of the downpipe. It protects the bottom of the pipe and channels water away. 

Whichever gutter protection system is chosen, care must be taken to ensure optimum impact resistance. It must also have been designed not to warp in very high or very low temperatures.  

Installing a Terreal leaf guard on your guttering

Before fitting a leaf guard to your guttering to protect it from all kinds of debris, the gutter must first be cleaned as explained above.   

The Terreal leaf guard is made of lacquered aluminium. The flexibility of this material makes it easier to fit. It is also very strong, guaranteeing long service life. Snap-on tabs to be attached to the gutter complete the grid fixing. 

With this protective grid (compatible with all 25-cm and 33-cm metal and PVC gutters), maintenance becomes optional. This gutter protection system can be used on both new and existing guttering.