If you find yourself typing “how to fix a clogged gutter” into your internet search bar, you are probably coming to the realization that cleaning out your gutters is an essential home maintenance task. By having your gutters regularly cleaned, you can avoid many problems caused by water runoff and moisture accumulation.
What Happens if I Neglect Cleaning My Gutters?
If you leave your gutters to fend for themselves, they will eventually get clogged up with leaves, pine-needles, dirt, moss, and even pests. In some cases, if you neglect them too long, the dirt and debris can get so condensed that gutters will support plant life.
But clogged gutters are not a laughing matter. They can cause issues such as water damage from rainwater leaking into your home, or even cause structural damage to your walls and foundation.
The whole purpose of gutters is to divert water away from your house. When gutters work properly, they collect the rainwater from your roof and channel it to the exterior ground where it slopes away from your home.
When gutters are clogged, they do not fulfill this function. If your gutters are not controlling where the water is going, water will go where gravity takes it. This means that it can seep over your gutters and down the walls and windows or back up into your attic or eaves, where it may rot the wood. Often, water will find its way down to your basement or your foundation, causing erosion, rotting, mildew, and mold. And if that happens, you will be looking at a major structural repair project, and the price tag that comes with it.
What About My Roof?
If you are going to clean your gutters, you should also clean your roof. A good portion of the leaves, dirt, and other debris that ends up in your gutter started out on your roof. The rain that washes off your roof carries all that material into the gutter, where it can cause clogging. Consequently, it would be counterproductive to clean your gutters only to leave a lot of material on your roof that will simply end up in your gutters during the next good rain.
How Can I Prevent Gutter Clogs?
If your gutters become frequently clogged despite being regularly cleaned, you would benefit from further steps to minimize the debris that is affecting your drainage system. If the problem is serious enough, you may even have to consider pruning back surrounding trees or eliminating some of them altogether. But short of this step, there are other options that will protect your gutters from getting clogged and your house from experiencing the consequent water damage.
At Precision Gutters, we frequently suggest the use of a gutter guard to our clients. Gutter guards are screens installed on the top of your gutters that prevent objects like leaves from entering the gutter. Instead, the screen filters out all these objects, only letting water and small particles into the gutter which are then washed out through the downspouts. We are an authorized dealer for Champion Gutter Guards, which we have determined to be a superior product. Effective gutter guards provide an efficient and affordable way to keep debris from clogging and ruining your gutters.
For premium performance, gutter cleaning and maintenance should be performed at least twice a year. And, if you don’t have the right equipment and know-how, you probably won’t want to do it yourself. Our experienced technicians are used to doing the dirty work, and we pride ourselves on being clean, efficient, safe, and affordable. If you have clogged gutters, contact the professionals at Precision Gutters today and let us clean and maintain your gutters before they cause you serious and expensive problems.