One of the most important projects in your house is cleaning your gutters. We often overlook this task and usually wait until fall to make sure all the leaves have fallen from the trees. Damage can occur if you wait that long. Also, it makes the job much more difficult.
This year, try to clean them twice a year: spring and then fall. This can help eliminate additional costs and problems down the road.
Clogged gutters cause many problems. Not just the waterfall that can spill off your roof on rainy days, or the icicles that form in the winter. Excess water can damage the integrity of your home and the foundation. Gutter systems are made to move the dining room off the roof and away from the foundation of the house. Allows proper drainage. If it is clogged, there is a possibility of water getting into the walls and ceiling of your house.
Having sheets stacked in the gutter adds additional weight to the gutter. When the debris absorbs water, it acts like a sponge and becomes extremely heavy. This can add stress to the brackets holding the gutters to your roof and can cause the gutters to break immediately. Falling gutters are expensive enough to replace on their own, not to mention lights or windows that break when they collapse.
Damage paint and siding if it is a factor of water overflow. It can also show unsightly markings running around the house. Ultimately this can rot the walls and siding which can be very expensive to replace. Ice buildup is another major problem with clogged gutters. Blocked water can freeze as it backs up in the gutters, pushing against the roof structure and working its way under the shingles, destroying the wood and causing even more leaks.
Flooded foundations and cracked foundations are other symptoms of clogged gutters. If the water is not drained out of the house and sits around the foundation, it will expand when it freezes and cause cracks that lead to basement or basement flooding.
You only need a few things to clean your gutters and they depend on the method you choose. Magazines, experts and handymen have come up with many different tricks and techniques, but the main concept is simple, just hop on the ladder and get the trash out of the gutters. You will need a ladder, gloves, a container to collect debris such as a bag or bucket, a garden shovel or small hand rake, and a hose.
Once you clean a full length, take the hose and spray down the gutter and down the spouts to remove any small debris that escaped. If there are clogs that the hose can’t clear, you can use a plumber’s snake to clear them.
Pushing this task to the bottom of the to-do list could end up being a very costly mistake. If you get up there regularly it can be easy and will prevent permanent damage from forming in your gutters.