If you ask homeowners “What’s your least favorite outdoor home maintenance chore?”, more than likely it’s cleaning gutters. What’s so awful about having to clean your gutters? Probably the nasty thought of what might be lurking in them, along with having to pull out a ladder for the job.
Whatever the reasons, we’re all in agreement: cleaning gutters is the worst. However, it has to be done. Let’s explore gutter maintenance and how it’s imperative all homeowners regularly pull the ladder out and just get it done.
Clean your gutters and save yourself from future headaches
Gutters are put on houses to control the flow of rainwater, protecting your roof, walls, foundation and landscape. If they clog up with leaves, sticks, mud, and weeds…. The water has no place to go and backs up, causing multiple issues.
Lots of rotting
It’s not just your roof that rots thanks to clogged gutters. Water needs to go somewhere, so when it can’t flow through clean gutters, it’ll go anywhere it finds a spot to drip down. Which means, your siding on your house, and seep through windows.
If it’s winter, it’ll freeze and cause even more issues. Once your roof and siding is damaged, it’ll end up affecting the interior of your home. Ceilings, interior walls, and windows will rot and need massive repairs. Plus, if there’s water damage in your home, it means your roof needs repairs. Another expense easily avoided with clean gutters.
Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes love standing water. Clogged gutters often collect water in their nooks and crannies. No gutter clogs evenly, so there’s divots where water can collect and sit. In the summer, it’s the best place for mosquitoes to gather and become an absolute nuisance.
Foundation
Gutters don’t just provide a place for water to flow away from your roof, but also directs it away from your home’s foundation. If the gutters are clogged, water drips all the way down the sides of the house and creates cracks in the foundation.
Water ends up making its way into the house, causing mold and more rotting. Black mold is incredibly bad for your health, and if it’s growing within your walls because of a leak no one caught…. It’s not easy to find. Usually, health issues arise and doctors have to backtrack what is causing the issues, never thinking it could be black mold in a patient’s house.
The fact is, even if it’s not the chore you look forward to, gutters need to be cleaned at least twice a year. The most effective clean schedule: towards the end of Spring, and again after your leaves have all finished falling in Autumn.
However, cleaning isn’t all that needs to be done. Make sure to spot check your gutters every 3 months, to catch any minor problems before they become huge issues!
If you happen to run into a problem, and need to file an insurance claim, make sure to contact Tango Insurance as soon as possible so we can help you through the claims process. We’re here to answer questions, and provide assistance for our clients.