Autumn is upon us – time to check the gutters

With Autumn now upon us, it is an important time to check and clean out your gutters and downpipes to avoid the chance of water entering your home or business.

In a recent check I was staggered to find a plant had been growing in the rain head in one of our downpipes.

I also found that leaf guards that we had fitted to keep the downpipes clear of leaves had all silted up with fine materials causing a dam when it rained heavily.

By doing the check at the start of autumn and scheduled at the start of each month through to the start of winter, I hope to avoid any water ingress to the building.

This is particularly important to us, as our gutters are box gutters which sit above the interior of the building.

Due to the increase in frequency and severity of rainstorms, I have spoken with our plumber and agreed it would be prudent to add an additional overflow on one side of the building. This became necessary when a Highrise was built next to us and the gutter is getting a lot more water from the side of that building where it fell harmlessly on the ground before.

I hope these tips, prompt you to consider doing a regular inspection following the old adage, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.