If you’re like most homeowners, proper gutter maintenance isprobably not at the top of your list of priorities. But it should be.Gutters are an integral part of your home’s overall health andwellbeing. Poorly maintained or neglected gutters can lead to avariety of problems, including water damage to the foundation, wetbasements, and even mold growth inside your home. That’s why it’simportant to make sure you keep up with regular gutter maintenance.Let’s look at why this is so important.
The Basics of Gutter Maintenance
Regular gutter maintenance does nothave to take a lot of time or money; in fact, it can be done quicklyand easily with very little effort on your part. The first step is toinspect your gutters for any debris such as leaves, dirt, twigs,acorns, etc. This should be done at least twice a year—in thespring and fall—to ensure that all debris has been removed from thegutters before the rainy season begins. Once you have removed alldebris from the gutters, flush them out with water using a gardenhose or pressure washer. This will help ensure that any remainingdebris is flushed out and that there are no clogs in the downspoutsor drains that could cause water to back up into your house duringheavy rains.
Gutters also need to be inspectedregularly for signs of corrosion or wear-and-tear that may requirerepair or replacement. Check for rust spots and holes that may havedeveloped over time due to exposure to sun and wind. If these issuesare identified early on they can often be fixed without having toreplace the entire gutter system—saving you both time and money inthe long run. If left untreated however, these issues can result inmore serious water damage in your home which can be costly to repair.
Finally, if your home has trees closeby it is recommended that you trim back any branches which may hangover your roof as they can cause leaves and other debris toaccumulate in your gutters throughout the year—leading to cloggingand other issues if not addressed promptly. Taking these steps willhelp ensure that your gutters remain free of debris and functioningproperly throughout the year—protecting both your home and itsfoundation from potential water damage caused by overflowing guttersduring heavy rains or snowstorms.
Proper gutter maintenance should neverbe overlooked when it comes to keeping your home safe from damagecaused by water overflow during storms or melting snow during wintermonths. Regular inspection twice a year followed by flushing out anyexcess debris from gutters after each storm will go a long waytowards protecting both your home’s foundation as well as itsinterior areas from potential flooding caused by poorly maintainedgutters which are not able to do their job properly due to cloggeddrains or blocked downspouts resulting from accumulated debris overtime. So don’t forget about this important task when preparing forseasonal change! With just a little bit of effort now you can saveyourself significant headaches later on down the line!
