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At Family Roofing, we take great pride in our experience, expertise, quality and customer service. It is our mission to provide excellent workmanship and complete customer satisfaction from start to completion of a project. Our reputation is based on service, safety and quality, regardless of how large or small the job.

 

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO CLEAN YOUR GUTTERS

 

Cleaning out your gutters may seem like a tedious task.  However, it’s a vitally important to-do for the overall safety and well-being of your home.   Not cleaning out your gutters correctly and promptly, you could risk damaging your home and garden.

Why Should You Clean Out Your Gutters?

As a homeowner, you take pride in the upkeep of your house.  After all, you’ve invested time and care into your place and it’s important that your home stays safe and in tip-top shape.  Yet, gutter cleaning is often a task that falls to the wayside.  It’s time-consuming, dirty and can also be dangerous if safety standards are not upheld.  That said, gutter cleaning is an essential task for the upkeep of your home.

Your gutter system is designed to collect rainwater and melting snow water and carry it away from your home’s foundation through downspouts.  If either your gutters or downspouts become blocked, water will fail to re-direct and manage to overflow in places it should not.  There are many reasons why gutter cleaning is so very important:

Prevent Damage to Your Foundation

There are a couple ways that clogged gutters can negatively impact your home’s foundation.  Your home’s gutter system is meant to move water away from eroding the soil at the base of your home.  Should this system become compromised due to build-up, the water won’t flow away from the base of your home.  Instead, it will spill over the sides of the gutters and pour down your home’s walls.  This will create pools of water to form at the base of your foundation, causing erosion, cracks and settling.

AVOID BASEMENT FLOODING

The more water that pools around the base of your home—since it is not correctly diverted because of a clogged gutter system—the more chances your basement will flood. Additionally, water may seep into your basement walls.  This moisture may lead to unwanted black growth and discoloration.

PROTECT YOUR ROOF

Your basement isn’t the only part of your home that can be damaged because of unclean gutters.  When leaves, twigs and other debris clog-up your gutters to the point where water is flooding over, this flooding can damage your roof.  Clogged gutters create standing water that may leak into your ceiling.  Not only will this water damage cause unsightly brown spots on your ceiling, but it can also lead to leaks, sags or even collapses.

KEEP PESTS OUT

The debris build-up in clogged gutters makes a lovely home for a variety of insects and birds.  Notably, mosquitoes particularly enjoy breeding in the standing water created by unclean gutters.  This is because mating mosquitoes love stagnant water.  If you notice an increase in buzzing mosquitoes around your home, it may be a sign that you need to clean out your gutters.

AVOID DAMAGE TO YOUR HOME’S FASCIA

Fascia is the board that runs along your gutter system.  It is mounted at the point where your roof meets the outer walls of your house.  Since clogged gutters cause water to overflow incorrectly or pool within your gutter system, this can cause fascia boards to deteriorate and rot.

AVOID DAMAGE TO GUTTER HANGERS AND BRACKETS

The areas surrounding your gutter system are not the only parts of your home that may be damaged due to clogged gutters.  The gutters themselves can also be damaged.   Pooling water and debris can become seriously heavy.  Your gutter system can only hold this weight up to a point.  If too much time passes before you clean your gutters, the hangers and brackets can rip away from home and come crashing to the ground.

How Can I Tell if My Gutters Need to Be Cleaned?

The best gutter cleaning practice is to unclog gutters regularly. However, there are a few signs that scream for your attention to start cleaning as soon as possible:

• You spot birds, insects or other pests by your roof.

• You notice water spilling over the sides of your gutters.

• Your gutters have started to sag.

• You see staining on your home’s siding.

• Plants are growing in your gutters.

• You can’t remember the last time you cleaned out your gutters.

Different Types of Gutters

There are three primary kinds of gutters. Each different type has its own benefits and drawbacks—from how easy they are to clean to how beautiful they are on your house.

HALF-ROUND GUTTERS

This variety of gutter looks like it sounds.  Essentially, half-round gutters look like a pipe that has been cut in half.  Since these gutters are curved, they don’t sit flush against the fascia boards and generally require brackets to hold them in place.  Half-round gutters are the traditional style found on homes built before the ‘60s.  If you live in an older community there is a good chance your home was built with half-round gutters.  While this kind of gutter is very effective at carrying water away from your home, its shape is prone to clogging and, thus, requires a lot of TLC to be clean and free-flowing.

K-STYLE GUTTERS

When viewed from the side, K-style gutters look like the letter “K.”  This kind of gutter is the style most commonly found in homes built post-1960.  Since the back of K-style gutters are flat, they can be installed directly into the fascia board and do not require brackets to hold them in place.  These gutters are quite popular because they resemble crown molding from the side, and because they carry more water than half-round gutters.   However, K-style gutters are a little harder to clean than half-round gutters because the inner angles are prone to collecting debris that is tricky to remove.

What Are Gutter Guards?

Gutter guards are a barrier that helps prevent debris like leaves and twigs from getting into your gutters.  While gutter guards have to be installed over top your gutters, they can eliminate the need for seasonal gutter cleaning.

DIY or Hire a Professional Gutter Cleaning Service?

Gutter cleaning can be a hassle that many homeowners would rather do without. Additionally, since you have to climb up a ladder to clean out your gutters, it can also be a dangerous job best left to the professionals.