Gutter maintenance is not a favorite household task for many homeowners - especially those who have a fear of heights. However, learning to inspect and clean your gutters now can save you plenty of money down the road. How? Clogged gutters allow water to spill over the edges and pool near the foundation of your home.

Soaker hoses that keep the soil around your foundation from drying out are a good thing. A flood of water that turns the entire area into mud can be very bad. Unstable soil conditions may cause your foundation to shift - repairs can cost thousands of dollars. To avoid this, follow these simple steps:

• Trim your trees so that the branches end 3 feet from the edge of your roof. This will limit the amount of leaf and twig debris that falls into your gutters.
• Put on your rain coat and do a full inspection of your gutters during your next heavy rain storm. Note areas where water is running over the sides instead of down the spouts. These are indications of clogging. Also, look for seams that are not properly sealed. These will be dripping.
• Set up your ladder and test it for stability before climbing up to look in your gutters. Have a friend or family member standing by just in case you fall. Only climb up far enough to peek over the edge of the gutter.
• Some home maintenance specialists recommend using a hose with a spray nozzle to wash clogged material out. Others say this can cause leaves and twigs to lodge in the drain pipes where they will be difficult to remove. Try to scoop out most of the debris by hand and then rinse the rest of it out with the hose.
• Use gutter caulk to fix any seams that need sealing. For more complex repairs or if you aren’t sure how to do this, call a handyman. The cost of repairing (or even replacing) your gutters is not high if you shop around.

Learn to professionally fabricate and properly install aluminum rain gutters.
First, load the roll of coil stock aluminum right to the gutter extruding machine. Then turn on the machine and allow the machine to form about 4 feet of gutter, then immediately turn off the machine. Apply silicone adhesive around inside edge of the aluminum end cap. Use hammer if necessary to lightly tap end cap onto end of gutter for tight fit.

Pinch the end cap onto the gutter using a crimping tool. Now run a bead of silicone along seam where end cap joins the inside of the gutter. Turn the gutter-extruding machine back on to produce the desired length of gutter. Turn off machine and mark the location of the downspout outlet on the inside of the gutter. Use hammer to punch out downspout hole using manual downspout cutter.

Spread silicone adhesive generously around flange of downspout outlet. Wipe dry the area around the hole in the gutter, after which install the downspout outlet. Cut the gutters length by using the machine’s forward-pull guillotine cutter. Install the other end cap onto the remaining gutter end, again using the silicone adhesive and finally the crimping tool.

Place aluminum drop on clips by spacing them every 2 to 3 feet. Holding the gutter against the house fascia, making sure it pitches down toward the downspout ½ inch for every 10 feet of gutter. Fasten gutter to the house with hex-head screws through the hole in the drop-on clips attaching them to the fascia.