The most crucial part of cleaning out your downpipes in ensuring your own safety. Having a person below to watch you in case you start leaning over on the ladder too much is also an absolute must. Also, be sure to wear gloves to help prevent any cuts or bites.
How you get onto your roof:
How you get onto your roof varies depending on the height of your roof. A smaller roof can be easily accessed using a small ladder. When using a ladder ALWAYS ensure someone is at the foot of the ladder holding it in place. This is to prevent the ladder slipping out from under you which can cause serious injury to yourself and bystanders.
For a taller roof. scaffolding will legally be required to avoid fines.
How to check for blockages
The simplest way to check for down-pipe blockages is to spray a hose down the pipe. Most of the time will actually unblock any minor blockages in your downpipe system. However, If the pipe remains blocked and If little to no water comes out the other end – there’s a blockage.
In this scenario, you should contact a plumber who had access to a Sani-Snake or other professional tools that can easily unblock your downpipes
In the case of rusted downpipes, please call us to get a quote to replace the pipes as this process can be
- A dangerous process
- Cause damage to your property if not done correctly
If your roof’s gutters are overflowing, it’s likely you have an incorrect fall installed or that you don’t have enough gutters to accommodate heavy rain flow.
Storm water drainage flooding is one of the easiest to prevent floods that your property can experience. Simply ensure that your drains are clear. And ensure (based on past experiences) that you have enough downpipes leading from your roof to your drains and that your down pipes are wide enough.
If you are unsure about some aspect of this, please give us a call and we would be more than happy to come out to the Plumbing In Bayside to help you out.
~ The Bayside Plumbers Team