The Importance of Keeping Your Gutters Clean 

Your home’s gutter system withstands a lot of abuse. When it rains or the snow melts, the gutters fill with an abundance of heavy water and debris which flow along the expanse to the downspouts. The purpose of your home’s gutter system is to protect your house from the onslaught of water which can damage the walls, foundation, roof, and surrounding landscape. In order to have a functioning water shedding system, you must keep the gutters clean.

The Danger of Dirty Gutters

If your gutters are clogged, the water can pool and back up potentially causing significant damage within your home. Shingles are designed to easily shed water downward but when the gutters clog and the water backs up it goes straight between the layers of shingles. The debris within gutters can also become a nest for rodents, other varmints and insects which can seek refuge within the debris and possibly infiltrate your home. Your gutters should be inspected regularly to prevent damage to your roof structure.

How Often Do You Need to Clean Gutters and Downspouts?

There are a lot of factors involved when it comes to keeping your gutters clean. Do you live by a lot of trees and shrubs? The falling foliage and debris can quickly clog a gutter system and the only remedy is to keep it clean as it becomes clogged. This could be once a year in the fall or every weekend during the shedding season. If there is not a lot of foliage overhanging the gutters, then you can usually get by with cleaning the system twice a year: summer and fall. It is relatively straightforward to clean the debris from the home’s gutters, but the downspouts pose a greater challenge. Depending on the home’s architectural characteristics, some gutter systems have many twists and turns which allow the organic material to build up and block the opening. Once blocked, the water eventually overflows out of the gutters. Most of the time the only way to properly clean downspouts is to remove them and wash out the debris.

Using Gutter Guards

At most home improvement stores you can find gutter guards that lay across your gutters. The guards keep debris from forming a dam and backing up the gutters. Although they catch a wide assortment of debris, they are not foolproof. You will still need to pop them out of the gutters and clean the debris out that has managed to slip past the guards. Sadly, many people mistakenly believe that gutter guards protect the gutters, so they don’t have to be cleaned. Such misconceptions lead to clogs, overflow, and extensive water damage in the residence from the flooding gutters.

Forensic Engineering Specialists

Engineering Specialists Inc. has nearly 30 years of field experience in analyzing the damage to residential, commercial, and industrial buildings. We can work on any project in any state, nationwide. When you or your business needs to confirm the extent of damage or how to correct a problem, email us at office@esinationwide.com or call us, toll-free, at (877) 559-4010.