During winter, temperatures drop. When this happens, it’s not uncommon for a roof’s gutter system to freeze. It can lead to serious problems. The risk is even greater if gutters are full of leaves. If you find frozen leaves in your gutter, you need to deal with the problem rapidly. We can help with our expert services. Rely on us for gutter and roof cleaning in Epsom and other parts of Surrey.

What to do?

Gutters full of leaves or debris are far more vulnerable to freezing. Debris works to obstruct the water flow. So, everything is more likely to freeze when it gets cold. Should freezing happen, your gutter can pull away from the rest of the building and collapse. The result is costly replacement. When ice is permitted to sit in the gutter for a long time, it can also encourage damp, leaks, and mould growth.

When the gutters freeze, or if stuck leaves freeze, you must carefully melt them. From there, you have to remove the leaves.

To start off, you should try to clear the ice and leaves using a roof rake. If the ice is thin or soft, you could be able to remove it manually using this tool. It is usually possible to do this standing at ground level. From there, you can scrape away at your gutter until everything comes loose. Roof rakes have gentle blades so they don’t scratch anything.

When the ice is too solid to break up with a rake, you must melt it. You can accomplish this by pouring hot water down the gutters. It will work to melt the ice and leaves. Do note though that you’ll need a ladder and a jug of boiling water. To accomplish the work as safely as possible, you may be better off asking the professionals to do it. You can speak to us if you need roof cleaning in Epsom.

Using the stocking method is a viable solution as well. It is primarily designed to prevent ice. Even so, you can use it to melt ice or frozen leaves. For this strategy, you fill old socks with calcium chloride (de-icing salt). Afterwards, you put the socks directly into the gutter to melt the ice. You may think that it will be simpler to sprinkle the calcium chloride straight into the gutters, but you can end up permanently staining your property this way.

Preventative measures

Now that we’ve gone over methods to deal with ice and frozen leaves, let’s talk about preventative measures.

The most important thing is to keep your roof and gutters well maintained during summer and autumn. Add an insulation layer to the guttering too. Also, look into installing heat cables. The latter two can massively reduce the chance of ice.

When winter arrives, look at the weather forecast. Remove any debris before temperatures get close to freezing. Lastly, implement a suitable roof and gutter maintenance schedule throughout the year.

Effective roof cleaning in Epsom

At Surrey Roof and Gutter Clean, we’re well aware of the problems dirty roofs and gutters can cause, especially in winter. We also know what happens when you use the wrong cleaning methods on them. As a result, we favour a manual, non-destructive approach. Our techniques get the job done without causing other problems.

So, let us know if you need the top services for roof cleaning in Epsom. We can tackle roofs and guttering effectively, ensuring they are clean and free of debris.