Gutters play an important role in keeping your home safe from water damage. They transport rainwater from the roof and direct it away from the basement and foundation.
Regular Gutter Cleaning is essential to ensure they continue to function properly. Gutter Cleaning will keep your gutters clean, prevent ice dams, and minimize mold growth and algae.
Clogged gutters impede the flow of water off of your roof. This enables rainwater and melting snow to build up against the roof’s surface, which can cause a wide range of damage over time. When you regularly clean your gutters, you can prevent this buildup and extend the lifespan of your roof.
Gutter cleaning is a relatively inexpensive home improvement project that can significantly reduce the risk of premature roof damage. If you’re comfortable working on ladders and don’t mind a little mess, you can even try your hand at gutter cleaning yourself. Just make sure you use a ladder designed for outdoor use and follow basic ladder safety guidelines, such as keeping your body between the side rails and working on level ground.
Another benefit of regular gutter cleaning is that it allows you to spot problems before they become serious. For example, if your gutters are loose or have damaged flashing, you can fix these issues before they cause water infiltration and roof leaks. Similarly, if you notice that your gutters are sagging or pulling away from your house, you can install new gutter supports before the problem gets worse.
Gutters that are clogged with leaves, twigs, and other debris can also impede the flow of water down the sides of your house. This can cause water to overflow and seep into fascia boards, soffit, and the foundation of your house. This can lead to wood rot, mold growth, and structural problems. Regular gutter cleaning helps to prevent this issue by promoting proper water flow and reducing the risk of overflows.
Prevents Ice Dams
Ice dams are a serious problem that can cause sagging roofs, shingle damage and interior water leaks. The best way to prevent ice dams from forming is through regular gutter cleaning and preventative maintenance.
Your gutter system is tasked with directing water from your roof into downspouts and away from your house. If your gutters are clogged with leaves and debris, it will be impossible for the water to drain properly. This will cause the water to pool on your roof and eventually seep into your home through cracks, crevices, and sagging areas.
Gutter cleaning will help to prevent ice dams by removing the buildup of debris that can trap melting snow and water. Once the gutters are clean, it will be easier for the melted snow and water to flow through the downspouts and away from your home.
If you want to take your ice dam prevention a step further, consider hiring a professional to install heated gutter cables. This will help to keep your roof and gutters free of ice dams all winter long.
In addition to installing heat cables, there are several other things you can do to prevent ice dams from forming on your roof. These include minimizing the amount of snow on your roof, lightening the load by shoveling or using a telescoping gutter cleaning wand, and boosting your attic insulation and airflow with ventilation solutions such as soffit vents and ridge vents.
Icicles are a beautiful sight to behold, but they can also pose a major safety hazard for you and your family. If they form in large quantities, ice dams can weigh down gutters and pull them away from your house. This can damage the siding and cause water to leak into your home, damaging flooring, insulation, walls, and ceilings.
Prevents Water Damage to the Interior of Your Home
Gutter cleaning is one of the best ways to protect your home from water damage. Gutters are designed to funnel rainwater off the roof and away from your foundation, but clogged gutters allow the water to overflow and seep into your house. This can cause damage to the walls, floor, fascia board, and other parts of your building. Regular gutter cleaning prevents this from happening.
In addition, standing water in clogged gutters can fuel the growth of mold and mildew, which can lead to respiratory issues for those who live in your home. Moreover, it can also trigger allergic reactions in children and adults. Gutter cleaning services remove the accumulated water and debris from your gutters, thereby eliminating these health hazards.
Gutters can also be a breeding ground for pests such as mosquitoes, flies, and rodents. These pests often nest in the debris and twigs that collect in clogged gutters. When these pests are around, they can spread diseases to other parts of your home. Gutter cleaning removes the accumulated debris and decomposed organic matter from your gutters, thereby preventing these pests from infesting your home.
In addition, regularly scheduled gutter cleaning can improve your home’s aesthetic appeal. Clogged gutters can make your home look drab and unattractive, but professional cleaning services remove all the dirt, debris, and twigs from your gutters, making them look like new. This will enhance your home’s curb appeal and increase its value. Therefore, you should consider hiring a professional gutter cleaning service at least twice a year. If your home is surrounded by many trees, you may need to clean your gutters more frequently. In fact, some homeowners who have professional gutter cleaning services schedule cleaning three to four times a year.
Prevents Mold and Algae Growth
Clogged gutters promote the growth of mold and mildew. This is a significant problem because these fungi thrive in moisture and can erode, warp and discolor gutters. Mold and mildew also pose health risks when spores become airborne and are inhaled by home occupants. These spores can trigger allergic reactions, exacerbate existing respiratory conditions and lead to chronic headaches and fatigue.
Gutter cleaning removes these spores and limits the amount of moisture that accumulates around the house. In addition, gutters that are free of clogs and debris allow water and ice to flow freely, reducing the risk of structural damage caused by weight buildup.
In addition, regularly scheduled gutter cleaning prevents excess water from seeping into siding cracks, vents and fascia boards where it can cause further damage. It also ensures that water flows off the roof as designed, preventing damage from pooling or overflow.
A clean gutter system also encourages the proper flow of water and ice from the roof to prevent leaks and shingle damage. Without regular cleaning, sludge and stagnant water can overflow and loosen the shingles from the wood structure. This can lead to serious and costly damage.
Another benefit of regular gutter cleaning is that it reduces the number of harmful pests that can invade your home. Pests like rodents, mosquitoes and other insects love to breed in clogged gutters and can carry disease. In addition, rotting debris and decomposing organic matter promote the growth of a variety of dangerous bacteria. This can contaminate your water supply and pose additional health hazards for family members. Gutter cleaning eliminates these threats and improves overall indoor air quality. In fact, NIH studies indicate that poor indoor air quality is linked to an increased prevalence of allergy symptoms, asthma attacks and other respiratory conditions.
Prevents Clogged Downspouts
Gutter cleaning services remove leaves, twigs, dirt, and debris from your gutter system to prevent clogs. They also flush your downspouts with water to ensure that rainwater can flow freely throughout your home’s drainage system.
The primary function of gutters is to funnel rainwater away from the foundation of your home. Blocked downspouts allow water to pool around the foundation, causing cracks and possibly basement flooding. Uncontrolled water flow can also erode soil and mulch around your house, wash away plants, and create unsightly gullies in your landscaping.
During normal rainfall, all water that lands on your roof will travel down into the gutters and drain out of the downspouts at the bottom. If you notice that little or no water is escaping the downspouts during moderate rain, it’s likely that something is wrong and it may be time for gutter cleaning.
Once a downspout is clogged, it becomes a trap for debris and more twigs and leaves will become lodged inside. This blocks the flow of water and eventually causes the clog to expand. If left untreated, a clogged downspout can overflow and cause water stains, mold growth, and structural damage to your roof and walls.
While you can try to remove large debris from your downspouts using a ladder, you should consider having gutter covers installed for a more permanent solution. These covers mount to the tops of your gutters and keep leaves and other debris from entering your downspouts and clogging them. They are available in a wide range of styles and price points, so you can find the one that best fits your home. You should still schedule regular gutter cleanings, however, to ensure that all the debris and twigs have been removed from your downspouts and that water flows properly through them.
