If you are trying to avoid a bush fire then one of the most important things to do is to remember to clear your gutters. Your gutters provide an important role allowing water to drain from your property, but at the same time they also serve another role – which is to catch all kinds of things that fall from the sky or get blown around and this then means that they can quickly fill with leaves, ferns and branches over time. In short, unless you work to clear out your guttering regularly you will have essentially a small bonfire collecting there and then it won't take much in order for that to catch fire.

    This is then very dangerous when you consider the location of your gutters – right near your roofing and your insulation which can be highly combustible and which can burn very rapidly. If your gutters catch fire and this spreads to your insulation then this will quickly result in a fire that can spread and bring down your whole home or even affect the other people on your road. As heat rises as well from your home and you are likely to have things such as light fittings in your ceiling it doesn't take much to trigger a fire in your guttering.

    For these reasons it is highly important that you ensure you keep your gutters empty, and especially if you work in a very hot climate.

    There are also other things you can do to help ensure that you don't have a bush fire any time soon. For instance you should try to avoid using flammable insulation if you can, and likewise you should be sure to spray your garden and your guttering with some cool water from time to time to avoid it getting too hot.

    You will also find that by emptying your gutters you also help to avoid various other problems and generally improve the condition of your property. Of course the first reason that most of use guttering is to ensure that water doesn't collect around our property. When water collects on your roof the gradient here is designed to ensure that it naturally runs off and doesn't just pool on your roof.

    Your gutters then exist to catch this water as it is drained, and if they should be cluttered with leaves and other debris then this can create a kind of 'damn' which blocks the water and prevents it from flowing easily causing it to spill out around the side of your property or run down the walls. This moisture then not only steels heat from your walls and wastes your electricity bill, but it can also damage your property and cause mold to collect which can damage your property and cause a range of health problems.

    On top of all this, having untidy gutters can even result in infestation and you can find robins and other animals nesting in your gutters and then causing damage to your roofing and your property.