As we are playing outside with our kids and doing yard work, take a few moments and walk around your house and do an inspection.
Most homeowners don’t know this but…
Your home’s gutter system is an important part of preserving the safety and peace of mind of your home.
Often, this can become a significant investment of a homeowner’s financial resources. However, many homeowners do not consider the other types of investments that are required to keep your system free-flowing and working correctly.
On the other hand, if you don’t consistently maintain your home’s gutter system, the costs to repair and restore them exceed the investment to prevent the problem in the first place.
Just like your lawn or windows, appropriate maintenance is required to ensure your system performs the way that meets your home’s requirements.
What are the pitfalls of a clogged gutter system?
It is better to have no gutters than a gutter system that is unmaintained and full of debris.
Why?
There are actually quite a few different issues that can be created from leaky gutters, besides the gutter falling off the home. When your gutters are clogged, they are not doing their job, and this can result in:
- Foundations and Basements: Gutters that cannot perform cannot keep water from seeping into the base level areas of a home. Moisture in the areas can degrade foundation walls, create areas where mold can flourish. This moisture can also cause fungal spores to grow. In extreme cases, it can also cause flooding.
- Decks, Patios, Driveways, & Paved Areas: Water falling on certain areas of the home will cause staining and rot if the structures are made out of wood. Paved and concrete surfaces can also be scarred and compromised by concentrated rainwater exposure.
- Insects and Animals: Mosquitos are one of many creatures that can make a home in your gutters if the water cannot leave the system. They can lay hundreds of eggs at a time in a very confined sample of water. Other creatures will take the presence of moisture and biomaterial as an invitation to set up shop.
What is proper gutter maintenance?
Clearing Debris From The System
We get a lot of calls right after we install gutters after a storm with high winds rolls through the Triangle. When this happens, many homeowners associate the lack of function within the gutter system with our craftsmanship. Though there are some instances where that has been the case, it is usually a clog in the gutter system that is causing the gutters to overflow. Debris within the system will slow down or stop the flow of water through the gutter. This can also cause a clog within the downspout or drainage.
Sealing Seams and Miters
As gutters age, the sealants that are used on the system weather and can degrade over time. An annual inspection can help identify trouble areas that can leak and cause damage to the fascia and soffit areas. These trouble areas can be resealed or adjusted to maintain the effective passage of water through the system.
Gutter Covers
Many homeowners would call gutter covers an upgrade to the gutter system, however, homes that have a lot of tree coverage around the structure should consider this a must-have. Homes with a lot of tree coverage or homes with gutters that are hard to access will create situations where keeping debris out of the system near impossible or dangerous. The proper gutter covering will reduce the amount of maintenance a homeowner has to invest in to ensure the integrity of the system while protecting the edge of their roof.
Keep your home protected with a maintained gutter system
Like many systems and areas of the home, gutter maintenance is essential to the protection of your property.
The cost of time and financial resources to maintain your system far outweighs the short term benefit of ignoring these systems. We come to too many homeowners’ properties that have systems that have failed because they were not properly taken care of.
We understand.
There are many people that are not comfortable balancing on a ladder to clear out the tough areas of their homes. It’s not something that you should attempt at all. Your gutters aren’t only on a high place on your home but it’s really a dangerous and messy task.
For those people that decide that this just is not in their wheelhouse, finding a provider of gutter refurbishment, maintenance, and cleaning services is a wise investment of time and resources.
Get Your Gutters Working Today
Chimneys Plus is a leading provider of gutter systems and gutter repair services. Our team of professionals would be happy to maintain this important system in your home.
Click the button below to schedule your Raincheck and Gutter Service appointment now.
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