Monthly Archives: December 2015

Gutter Maintenance Tip #43 – Tighten Loose Hangers

By rempferconstruction
Dec-30-2015
Damage Prevention, Gutters, Soffit & Fascia
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Tighten Loose Hangers Tighten Loose Hangers. Gutters attached to home by hangers. Hangers are tough pieces of your guttering system. They can hold heavy weights but this does cause strain on them. Make sure hangers tightly fit to ensure gutters hang properly. If your gutters are sagging this could be more than just tightening a few hangers. Your fascia board could need replacing. Consult with a professional. A gutters cleaning by a professional? Ask them if this includes an inspection and tighten any hangers or reslope gutters as needed. We offer this service in our long-term maintenance program! For a free estimate on gutter cleaning, repairs or adding gutter guards, call us today! Gutters & Guards experienced team will take the guess-work out of the process, and ensure that your home is protected. Connect with us for daily inspiration, updates and information: Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

Tags: clogged gutters, Construction and Maintenance, gutter check up, gutter cleaning, Gutter Guard, Gutter Guards, Gutters, Gutters and Guards, Lynchburg Virginia, Materials and Supplies, Virginia, winter

Prevent Slick Spots

By rempferconstruction
Dec-28-2015
Damage Prevention, Gutters
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Prevent Slick Spots Prevent Slick Spots. This winter can be a very dangerous time when ice and snow come into play. Slick spots can form on walkways due to dripping gutters. Some dripping will happen, it cannot be avoided but you can prevent the majority of it and take precautions to keep your walkways free of ice. Our first suggestion is making sure your gutters and downspouts are free of all debris and clogs. Debris and clogs in your gutters can cause water to overflow and run over your gutters. This can be avoided very easily by cleaning your gutters out at the very end of fall/ beginning of winter. This will allow water/melted snow to run easily out of your gutters. Another tip is to rake snow off of your roof. When snow begins to build up on the edge of your roof, rake it off. Leaving the snow there can cause ice dams to form, creating a large leaking water supply to find itself on your walkways. It can also cause ice icicle to form. Although ice icicles can happen no matter what you do to prevent it ( besides install heated gutter guards), you can give them less to form on and have less to worry about. Our third tip is to salt your walkways after you have cleared them. This will help melt the snow and give your a dry surface to walk on.

Tags: Construction and Maintenance, Gutter Guard, Gutter Guards, Gutters, Gutters and Guards, holiday, Home repair, ice, injury prevention, Lynchburg Virginia, Materials and Supplies, Virginia

Gutter Maintenance Tip #42 – Roof Maintenance

By rempferconstruction
Dec-16-2015
Gutters, Roofing
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Roof Maintenance Roof Maintenance. Gutters are an extension of your roof. They work as a system to protect your home from leaks, and other mother nature related problems. So maintaining your roof is just as important as maintaining your gutters. 3 ways to keep your roof maintained is by removing loose debris from the shingles of your roof, such as leaves, twigs and branches. This helps protect and prolong the life of your roof and will help keep the bigger, gutter clogging debris out of your gutters! The biggest places to look at is valleys and where a wall and roof meet. Also keep an eye out for moss, milder and mold. A large tree or shade. Over time moss, mildew and mold build up. There are companies that specialize in mold, moss and mildew buildup. NEVER use a hard bristled brush or power washers. This can destroy your shingles and cause water leaks. The last way to maintain your roof is by unclogging and keeping your gutters and downspouts cleaned. Backed up gutters pushes water over the gutter onto your roof. Running down the fascia board. With it going against the grain of your roof, this can cause water leaks! That’s why we believe in keeping a clean and maintained gutter. For a free estimate on gutter cleaning, repairs or adding gutter guards, call us today! Gutters & Guards experienced team will take the guess-work out of the process, and ensure that your home is protected. Connect with us for daily inspiration, updates and information: Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

Tags: Construction and Maintenance, Debris, gutter check up, gutter cleaning, Gutter Guard, Gutters, Gutters and Guards, Lynchburg Virginia, Materials and Supplies, Roof, Virginia, winter

Gutter Guard Ice

By rempferconstruction
Dec-14-2015
Gutter Guards, Gutters
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Gutter Guard Ice Gutter Guard Ice . As the temperatures drop, we are reminded of the icicle and gutter guard issue. As a new gutter guard owner you may think to yourself, should you expect gutter guard icicles? The answer is a simple YES. That DOES NOT mean you will most certainly get icicles. It means that there is a possibility. You could get big icicles, small icicles or no icicles. It’s going to depend on a number of things and they are NOT caused by having gutter guards. Why Do I Have Icicles? Gutter guard icicles form because the metal or plastic used in the manufacturing process freezes just like everything else around it when the temperatures drop below freezing. Once the product is frozen it won’t thaw again naturally until temperatures rise above freezing. In the interim, if there is frost, rain or snow, the surface of the product will be inpenetrable, just like the frozen surface of a lake. When this happens, if the roof temperature heats up faster than the metal of the gutter (because the heat that you use to heat your home is escaping through your roof and not from your gutter, for example), water can run over the gutter guard and drip. These drips will cause gutter guard icicles to form. This can also happen without a gutter guard. Remember that most likely your gutter is made out of metal and will get VERY cold. Can It Be Avoided? There are certain products that you can use to keep your gutters/gutter guards heated and free to ice. Running heat tape or heating cables under the product will do this. Many heated systems are programmed to turn on once the weather drops below a certain point. It’s also VERY important to mention that heated products are expensive and should not be used just to keep icicles off your gutters. If you town is known to have huge snow build up or cold snaps lasting weeks, it may be a good investment. You can also use a snow rake to get the snow off your roof, this can prevent icicles from forming as well. If you think a few days with icicles will bother you more than having to clean your gutters, think carefully before purchasing any gutter guard. Are gutter guard icicles worth avoiding? We’d say yes if they impact any entrance way into your home. A $30 snow rake cost effective way to manage the problem in the first place. For a free estimate on gutter cleaning, repairs or adding gutter guards, call us today! Gutters & Guards experienced team will take the guess-work out of the process, and ensure that your home is protected. Connect with us for daily inspiration, updates and information: Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

Tags: Construction and Maintenance, gutter cleaning, Gutter Guard, Gutter Guards, Gutters, Gutters and Guards, ice, Lynchburg Virginia, MasterShield, Materials and Supplies, Virginia, winter

Frozen Downspouts

By rempferconstruction
Dec-10-2015
Damage Prevention, Gutters
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Frozen Downspouts Frozen Downspouts. Ice happens in the winter months. You cannot prevent mother nature for happening but you can prevent the amount of build up that is left to freeze. Frozen downspouts can happen and when they do, this is the best course of action to take. Frozen downspouts; Now what to do. Typically in this part of Virginia, a cold snap doesn’t last too long unless there is snow involved. Check the weather. If the temperatures are rising above freezing in a couple days, let it go. As long as your gutters are clean and free of debris you should be fine and the ice will melt and water will move away from your home, like normal. If the ice is building up at the bottom of your downspout, clear the snow away from it and this will give the ice/water room to move. If the weather seems like it will be at or below freezing for a while. Take some action. Heavy frozen ice can cause a lot of damage and put A LOT of weight on your gutters. As the weight increases the odds of your gutters or downspouts tearing away from your home go up. This can lead to bigger fixes such as water leaks or improper drainage. A good way to unthaw a downspout that has frozen at the bottom is by using VERY hot water to melt it. If it’s frozen throughout the downspout, you can climb a ladder and pour water into the top, which can unthaw mild ice buildup. If the inside doesn’t work, try the OUTSIDE of the downspout. Never use force because this can truly mess up your downspout. Also never climb a ladder in wet conditions. It’s too dangerous and never worth the risk. For a free estimate on gutter cleaning, repairs or adding gutter guards, call us today! Our experienced team will take the guess-work out of the process, and ensure that your home is protected. Connect with us for daily inspiration, updates and information: Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

Tags: Construction and Maintenance, damage, Debris, Downspout, ice, injury prevention, Lynchburg Virginia, Materials and Supplies, Mother Nature, Weather, winter

Proper Ladder Safety

By rempferconstruction
Dec-4-2015
Damage Prevention, Gutters
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Proper Ladder Safety Proper Ladder Safety is a vitally important part of home maintenance. A step between a job well done and very serious injury or death. It’s no joke. All of our professional practice ladder safety and perform safety inspections to ensure that every job is followed safely. We have a few tips to help you, especially if you are DIY gutter cleaning, practice proper ladder safety and keep yourself safe. We first start out by inspecting our ladders. Prior to using a ladder we check it to make sure that it is: Free Of Cracks, Splits, Corrosion And Any Protruding Nails,screws And/or Splinters. Make Sure All Steps/rungs Are Free Of Oil/grease Or Any Other Slippery Substance Steps/rungs Firmly Attached To Side Rails And Not Broken. Safety Feet/base And Other Hardware ( Screws,etc) Are In Good Condition. Movable Parts Operate Smoothly Without Binding Or Excessive Play Ropes Are In Good Condition ( For Our Extension Ladders) After ensuring that our ladder is up to safe use standards we look at: The Location Set The Ladder Up And Away From Accidentally Be Stuck Or Displaced. If Needed, Barricade Off A Highly Visible Safety Zone In Occupied Work Areas, And Walkways. Ladders Should Not Be Placed In Front Of Doors Unless Door Is Locked Or Guard Posted. Never Use A Metal Ladder Around Expose Electrical Equipment And Wiring. Keep Ladders And Tools At Least 10 Ft Away From Overhead Lines At All Times. If There Is An Issue Contact Your Utilities Department For Assistance. Keep Access To And From Ladders Clear Of Mud, Materials And Debris. Ladder Setup When Setting Up Your Ladder Make Sure That: Ladder Set Up On A Flat Surface. If Ground Is Soft And Uneven, Use A Large Piece Of Plywood To Brace Under Ladder And Provide Better Footing. NEVER Set A Ladder On Boxes, Barrels Or Other Unstable Bases To Gain Extra Height. STEP LADDERS: Always Fully Open Stepladder And Make Sure Spreader Bars Are Locked Into Place. SINGLE/EXTENSION LADDERS: For A Proper Angle, Set The Base Of The Ladder 1 Ft Away From The Wall For Every 4 Ft Of Ladder Length And Make Sure To Let The Ladder Extend 3 Ft Above Roof. Make Sure To Secure The Ladder At The Top To Prevent Slipping Sideways Or Outwards. If This Is Not Possible Tie The Ladder At The Top And Have A 2nd Person Brace The Ladder. Climbing Remember These Tips When Climbing A Ladder: Make Sure Shoes Are Free Of Mud, Grease Or Any Other Slippery Substance. Face Ladder And Use Both Hands. Maintain 3 Points Of Contact At All Times! Do Not Carry Any Tool/materials With Your Hands. Use A Tool Belt Or Raise And Lower Items By Hand Lines. NEVER Climb The Bracing Of A Stepladder ( The Smaller Looking Steps) General Use Do Not Stand/work On The Top 3 Rungs Of A Single/ Extension Ladder. For Stepladders, Do Not Stand/work On The Topcap Or First Step. “Belt Buckle Rule”: Stay Centered, Don’t Let Your Belt Buckle Go Past Either Side Rail When Working, Keep At Least 3 Points Of Body Contact With Ladder: ⇒ 2 Feet + [1 Hand Or Hips Or Chest] Only One Person At A Time On A Ladder Never Adjust Or Move Ladder While On The Ladder Avoid Working On Ladders In High Winds Or Wet Conditions. Use these guidelines and some common sense and you will be less at risk. We know that accidents do happen, we just want to make sure that you have less of a chance for an accident if you choose to DIY gutter clean. If you do not have the right materials, tools or time to DIY please give us a call. ( source) For a free estimate on gutter cleaning, repairs or adding gutter guards, call us today! Gutters & Guards experienced team will take the guess-work out of the process, and ensure that your home is protected. Connect with us for daily inspiration, updates and information: Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

Tags: Construction and Maintenance, damage, Gutters, Gutters and Guards, injury prevention, Lynchburg Virginia, Materials and Supplies, Virginia

Gutter Maintenance Tip #41 – Reattach Downspout Elbow

By rempferconstruction
Dec-2-2015
Damage Prevention, Gutters
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Reattach Downspout Elbow Reattach Downspout Elbow. Gutter can take a lot. From massive amounts of rain passing through them yearly, they certainly get a good workout. This also means besides water some other debris can find their way in and through your gutters and downspouts including sticks and twigs. Some may fall through your downspout hitting the boot at the bottom with quite a force. If you find that the elbow of your downspout has fallen off, fear not because it can be reattached, as long as it was not completely damaged. It should be a pretty easy fix by just fitting the two piece back together. The most important thing to do is to make sure it is attached. You can attach the two pieces together with small screws or pop rivets. If the elbow that has been broken apart is the top elblow, please call a professional because it can be a bit more difficult to DIY. For a free estimate on gutter cleaning, repairs or adding gutter guards, call us today! Our experienced team will take the guess-work out of the process, and ensure that your home is protected. Connect with us for daily inspiration, updates and information: Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

Tags: Construction and Maintenance, damage, Downspout, Gutter Guard, Gutter Guards, Gutters, Gutters and Guards, Home repair, Lynchburg Virginia, Virginia