Why Gutter cleaning is important to Home maintenance
A gutter system is designed to push rainwater away from the roofline as well as from your home, to prevent structural damage. Check out these tips for gutter cleaning and learn why keeping your gutters free of debris is so important to home maintenance.
Why clean your Gutters?
Throughout the year, falling leaves and other junk can find its way into your gutters. Too much muck and your gutter system will become clogged. When that happens, the rainwater has nowhere to go, and it will start spilling over the edge. The water hits the ground right next to your foundation wall, causing puddles to form and flooding to occur.
People don't always realize how damaging clogged gutters can be to their home. Roofing problems, landscaping issues, and even the headaches of mold and mildew wreak havoc on your property. It's important to keep your gutter system working well.
How often should you clean your Gutters?
Twice a year is usually recommended for gutter cleaning. However, it should depend on your situation. Every yard and every neighborhood is different. Do you have pine trees that are taller than your roofline? Pine needles are notorious for clogging gutters, so if this is the case, you should clean them more often.
Some neighborhoods get more rain than other places. The more rain that ultimately flows through your gutters, the more cleaning you should do. This will ensure that the water flows freely through your downspout system so that it can be taken further away from your home.
How to clean your Gutters
Calling a professional to clean your gutters is always the best. But if you really feel you want to do them yourself, check out these tips for cleaning your gutter system:
- For debris that's tough to get out or time-consuming to remove by hand, use a gutter scoop. You can even cut one out from a plastic milk jug to scoop up the junk clogging up your gutters.
- Use a power washer. Using one of these allows you to quickly blast away the dirt and debris left behind. If you don't want to spend the money to rent or buy one, try using your garden hose.
- For stubborn debris in the elbows of your downspouts, try using a plumber's snake tool. It's not only useful for snaking out your plumbing pipes, but it's great for your gutter system as well.
How to protect your Gutters from Debris
Cleaning a gutter system isn't exactly fun, and no one looks forward to the task. But, it’s a dirty job and needs to be done, regardless. However, if you take some steps to protect your gutters, you can eliminate the need for cleaning them quite as often.
Screens are great tools that offer protection for your gutters by filtering what goes through the downspout pipes. Water gets through to the gutters, but debris doesn't. Gutter guards are a more expensive tool, but it's a more durable option to protect your downspout system.
Your home is your biggest investment. Caring for it is a big responsibility and cost. That’s why it is wise to be prepared for home repair emergencies with a home repair plan or home warranty. Affordable plans from HomeServe can help with the costs of covered repairs. Enter your ZIP Code here to see what plans are available in your neighborhood.
