Clog In The Elbow Of The Gutter

Water spills over the edges of a gutter.

Clog in the elbow of the gutter.

Remove the downspout extension if present to expose the bottom opening. Late autumn or early winter or whenever the trees are bare is the right time to clean out your gutters. To unclog a gutter downspout try your easiest options first. Expose the bottom downspout opening divert the flow away from any landscape drain and then use a garden trowel to reach up into the opening and remove any clogged leaves and debris that could have accumulated there.

With your gloves on insert a garden trowel into the downspout and remove any leaves or debris you can reach. Step 2 take apart your gutter downspout if spraying the clog with your hose proves unsuccessful use a screwdriver to take apart your downspout at the bends. Many people wait until the spring but it s much better to clean out the leaves prior to all the winter snow melt and spring rains. Once you ve located the source of the clog don a pair of rubber gloves and carefully fish it out with your hands.

Start by cleaning the bottom downspout opening. If you wait until spring or summer the downspouts elbows and drop outlets are usually already clogged. Water sprays like a fountain from gutter seams and elbow joints. When it rains here are the telltale signs of a clogged gutter.

If you see water flowing over the edges of your gutters and not through your downspouts your downspouts are most likely clogged with a small object or leaves and twigs. Otherwise trying to remove the clog may simply push it further down. This is especially important if the downspout is connected to an underground drain.