Last week I shared a story about an expensive downspout disaster that could have been prevented with a screen that costs about the same as a fancy cup of coffee.
This week, I was going to do a video on gutter guards, but the week got away from me. So instead, I’d like to illustrate why keeping your gutters clean is so important. I’ve repaired many a home from the damage caused by “gutter neglect.”
As passive as they seem, your gutters work around the clock to keep water away from your home’s foundation. That’s’ why when clogged up gutters overflow, it can create major issues. Here are seven headaches you can avoid through regular maintenance:
1. Gutter damage: Debris and standing water can weigh down your gutters and cause them to leak, separate at the seams, and pull away from the fascia. This is what we see most.
2. Roof leaks: Standing water in your gutters can seep under the roof and destroy the wood sheeting, damage the shingles, and even your ceiling. Yellow or brown stains on your ceiling are signs that water is seeping in from under your roof or behind the gutters.
3. Wood damage: Water from overflowing gutters that seep onto the fascia, siding, walls, and window frames will eventually rot and weaken the wood.
4. Landscape damage: Over-saturation can destroy plants, shrubs, grass, and other vegetation.
5. Mold infestation: Mold can begin to grow within three days of water leaking into your house. Not only can mold damage walls and ceilings, its release of toxic spores into the air can pose a serious health hazard.
6. Foundation damage: When water pools and then saturates the dirt below your foundation, it can cause cracking, unevenness, shifting, and structural damage in your foundation.
7. Ice & snow damage: When standing water in your gutters freezes, it expands and puts pressure on the walls of your gutters. Too much pressure can cause them to become slightly deformed, loose, or damage the fasteners and make them unsteady. Too many cycles of this and the fasteners could potentially fail and let the gutter come off the structure, posing a threat to life and property.
If you’ve been putting off having your gutters cleaned, we can help. Just give us a call or email us to set up an appointment. We’re at your service.
Talk to you next week.
-Andy