Protecting Your Home From Winter Storms

With the impending hurricane threatening the East Coast and particularly the NY Metro area here’s a timely one for you Maplewood, Millburn, South Orange and Short Hills peeps! Cooling weather trends bring with them rain and snow and can also result in damage to your home. Now’s the time to consider making needed preparations to your home, from roof repairs and securing insulation to cleaning the rain gutters to make sure your home is safe to weather the storms. Surprisingly, clear rain gutters can do a lot to help your entire home, by protecting windows and doors, siding and even your home’s foundation from too much concentrated moisture. In addition, making sure leaders and underground drainage pipes are running properly is also key.

Clearing your gutters of leaves and other objects requires the use of a ladder, so if you are afraid of heights or cautious about your abilities, you may consider hiring a handyman to complete this task. For those of you who enjoy the adventure of home repairs, however, clearing your gutters can be relatively easy if you follow the tips below.

• Use a safe and solid ladder to reach your gutters. You will need to move the ladder frequently (do not try to stretch to reach far areas while standing on your ladder).
• Wear protective gear, such as goggles and work gloves – you never know what you’ll find up there!
• Use the right tools. A small hand shovel (even a plastic sand shovel) and bucket or disposable bag should be sufficient. You can also use a scrub brush as needed.
• Test it out. Once the gutter is clear, use your garden hose to have a practice storm and track the flow of water racing through your cleaned rain gutter.
• If all is well, your work is complete. If not, look closely at your drain pipes to make sure they are not clogged, as well, or evaluate is your gutter slope needs to be adjusted.

Clearing your rain gutters should be done at least once a year, depending on where your home is located. If you find your gutters require care more often, you may want to consider purchasing covers for them.