Why is gutter cleaning so important for your roof?

Records show that UK rainfall is becoming heavier and more frequent due to climate change, resulting in longer consecutive days of rainfall and more flooding. Sadly, these trends are expected to continue and increase in the future. Rainfall can affect buildings and infrastructure severely, causing widespread damage. That’s where gutters come in. Guttering is a building’s water collection and discharge system, dispersing water from your roof into drainage channels. As a business, you should keep on top of your gutters so that all your properties and assets remain in good condition, preventing costly and dangerous damages, and ensuring roof maintenance is carried out in the most efficient, cost-effective way.

What property damage does water cause?

Rainfall can cause a wide range of damage due to its force, flow, weight and incessant contact with materials. It affects guttering channels, downpipes, fixings and drains. Heavy rainfall and continual bad weather throughout long winters exacerbate the situation and rain throughout the year worsens damage over time. Problems start as drips and seepage, which can develop into leaks, corrosion and waterlogging at the building foundations if ignored.

It is important to avoid your guttering getting splits, blockages and build-up of fungal growth from rainfall, leaves, birds and other debris to enable the continual downflow of water. Guttering angles need to be correct to prevent poor, slow water flow, which also creates more water weight or water downpouring over the edges of the gutter. Rainwater corrodes metal guttering and water not collected or flowing correctly makes contact with building roofs and walls, leading to severe problems, such as water ingress and flooding.

Why preventative gutter maintenance is important

These problems start and worsen fast if we take our eye off the ball. They are happening above our heads, so they are less noticeable amongst other commercial issues. Neglect of gutters costs money and can impact workforce safety, affecting buildings, their contents, business stock and staff. The longer a blocked gutter is left, the more costly it is to solve because leaks and water ingress can cause severe roof problems and other building damage. A regular gutter cleaning routine will detect issues at an early stage, avoiding health and safety breaches and expensive bills. Preventative roof maintenance gives cost-effectivity and peace of mind.

In these difficult times, all businesses have countless tasks to deal with and more drain on resources than usual. Commercial buildings may have to be left unused at intervals during winter months when water is more likely to build up unnoticed, for example in periods of lockdown or reduced working on site. It is particularly important to remember to arrange regular gutter cleaning and roof maintenance inspections during these periods.

Professional gutter cleans are best

Gutter cleaning is best carried out by specialists with the experience, appropriate machinery and equipment to do the job. For example, the work is all at height, so it is important to work safely with the correct mobile elevated working platforms (MEWPs) and procedures to ensure that all operatives and building occupants are kept safe. Professional roofing contractors are adept at working effectively with minimal disruption to your business on all types of water dispersal systems on any type of building.

Safeguard your assets

As industry accredited roofing contractors, at CRS we offer a high quality gutter cleaning service. With all gutter cleans, we also provide a full roof inspection. Our experienced team will visually check your roof and photograph any areas of concern which require remediation. This dual service is a worthwhile and cost-effective way of ensuring water is flowing correctly and keeping an eye on the condition of your roofs and property. Giving you this peace of mind enables you to get on with what you’re good at and focus on the running of your business.

You can safeguard your commercial properties by forward planning with us, but if you’ve already missed the boat on this, we are also here for emergency callouts and repairs.