When gutters get clogged, a heavy rain and little drainage will eventually lead to costly repairs. You’ll need to take some preventative measures to ensure your gutter system is functioning properly. Here are 3 things you can do to ensure a gutter system functions properly. 1) Every so often check and make sure your gutter system is free of debris. You can do this by climbing a ladder and verifying there’s no debris inside the gutter. If, however you prefer not to test your balance on a ladder, you could hire a professional to come and conduct a free inspection. 2) whichever route you take, the next step after ensuring the gutters are free of debris are verifying the downspouts are not clogged in anyway. A simple, easy way to check is to lightly tap on the downspout with your hand. You want it to sound hollow. That means your downspout is clear of any obstruction. Checking the bottom and top of the downspout is the proper way to perform this test. If you do find that your downspout is clogged, you can take the downspout apart by removing each individual piece from the seams. 3) once there’s no debris inside the gutters and downspouts, you can proceed to check how well they drain. If you have a garden hose available, go ahead and use that to put water on the roof and watch how your gutters perform. This will allow you to see how well your gutters do with multiple gallons of water per minute flowing through them. These tips will help keep your gutters functioning.