Gutters help maintain the “health” of a house. Basically, gutters are designed to collect rainwater from the roof and direct the flow of water away from the foundation of the house via downspouts.

In order to protect your home, it is essential to clean and maintain gutters and downspouts. Clogged gutters can lead to an overflow of water infiltrating the foundation of the house. Moreover, clogged gutters can also increase pressure on the roof and fascia. Blocked or clogged gutters can collapse due to the weight of stagnant water. Regular cleaning and maintenance of the gutter system can prevent damage to your roof, exterior, and foundation, saving you thousands in possible repair costs.

Why Is It Essential To Maintain Your Home’s Gutters?

Regularly cleaning and maintaining gutters helps your house and roof stay in good shape for a long period of time. Clogged and congested gutters can potentially cause damage to the interior parts of a house such as walls and ceilings.

How Can Gutters Damage The Foundation Of A House?

Clogged, sagging, and overflowing gutters direct the flow of water along the foundation of the house. This water can and will erode the soil around and underneath your home. Excessive soil erosion can lead to the formation of cracks in the foundation and even structural failure. To prevent this from happening, it is essential to clean your gutters regularly.

When Is The Right Time To Clean Gutters?

Usually, gutters need to be cleaned twice a year, once after spring and then after the fall. If you have trees around your house, then you need to be more frequent with cleaning the gutters and removing accumulated debris.

How To Maintain Your Gutters

Regularly Removing The Gutter Debris: Start by digging up the debris by using a plastic trowel. If the debris consists of loose leaves and granules, you can simply use gloved hands. Use a bucket to collect all the garbage. Make use of your leaf blower and/or pressure washer to clean the gutters inside out.

Getting help from professionals to clean the roof gutters is a smart idea if you are unable to do it yourself.

Flushing The Gutters: Once you have removed debris, use a water spray to flush out dirt and stubborn dust, mold, or mildew. Water should remove anything you might have missed.

Check For Clogs and Damage: Once the gutter is cleaned, inspect whether there are any leaks, cracks, or clogs. It is important to ensure that the gutters are secured to the fascia. If there is a small crack, repair it with sealant.

In case the damage caused to the gutters is serious, call professional contractors to repair the damage or replace the gutter with a new one.

Securing Loose & Sagging Gutters: To increase the service life of gutters, replace spikes with gutter screws.

Sealing Small Leaks: In order to repair a leaking gutter, apply silicone caulk to properly seal it.

Repairing The Gutter Downspouts: Make sure that downspouts are clear of leaves and other debris and that joints fit together properly.

Summary:

These tips for cleaning and maintaining gutters will keep your gutters fully functional throughout the year and also prevent the need for early replacement or extensive repair work. Spending some time checking and cleaning the gutters frequently will help save them from potential damage caused by extreme weather conditions or other external issues. Even though it might not seem like a priority, gutter maintenance is an important step in avoiding costly home repairs down the line.