An important part of making your property winter-ready is the need to clear away all the debris that accumulates during fall.
Whilst I’ve recently looked at the task of clearing leaves from you lawn and paths, it’s worth thinking about the other areas where leaves can accumulate as well as the other debris that you would be well advised to deal with.
Gutters, gullies and downpipes
Fallen leaves can cause big problems if they are allowed to remain in gutters, gullies and downpipes.
Leaves blocking gutters and downpipes will prevent rainwater from properly draining away from the structure of your home.
Where blockages occur, water backs up and may seep under the eaves of your house. This is most likely to occur when there is heavy rain and the gutters and pipes quickly fill.
Once inside your roof space, the water will find the lowest point and pool there, eventually leaking through the ceilings below, damaging the decor and potentially damaging your furniture, carpets etc.
Equally worrying is the fact that water in roof spaces often finds its way to light fittings. This presents a risk of shorting, which creates a fire risk and also the risk that you may lose power altogether.
Fallen leaves can also cause you big problems if they are allowed to block external gullies or drains.
In this case, the risk is that the water backs up and floods your home. Obviously, whether this risk is likely to be an issue for you will depend upon the lie of the land around your house.
Clearing blockages – tools for the job
In either case, you’ll need to brush, blow or pull out the easy-to-get-to leaves in the first instance. But in order to make sure the pipes and gullies are really clear and/or to break through any existing blockages, it is often a good idea to use a pressure washer to blast away the remaining leaves and debris.
When working around your gutters, you do need to take care not to direct the jet under the eaves where it may find its way into the roof space.
But the beauty of using a pressure washer or power washer is that its effectiveness comes from the power with which the water is blasted, rather than from the volumes of water used. Therefore, a much lower volume of water is being directed at your roof than would be the case with an ordinary hose (or indeed if there is heavy rain and your gutters are blocked).
You will need a pressure washer that packs a decent punch for this task, which means you’ll probably need a gas powered model that generates at least 3000 PSI of pressure.
If you are need to access high level gutters, you’ll also need to make sure that there is a sufficiently long hose attachment that will reach the desired height and allow you to work comfortably. You will also need to find a machine that is easily maneuvered around your property.
Something like this refurbished Black Max BM80915 3000 PSI Gas-Powered Pressure Washer is likely to do the job:
Black Max BM80915 3000 PSI Gas-Powered Pressure Washer (Refurbished)
The powerful Black Max pressure washer pumps out 3,000 PSI of power at 2.5 gallons per minute. It features a 25 foot long hose and can easily be wheeled to where you need it. The best thing is that it features an ultra reliable Honda engine
You’ll also find a great selection of other refurbished pressure washers here.
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