Regular yard maintenance typically includes mowing the lawn, trimming hedges, and watering the plants. However, gutter cleaning gets overlooked. The saying, “out of sight, out of mind,” is true because everything may seem fine with your gutters until trouble arises.
Homeowners can forget that debris, leaves, and even shingle fragments can build up in the roof gutters, preventing proper water drainage. This oversight can develop into several problems, resulting in irritating and even costly damage.
Unwanted Critters and Guests
Without a routine spring and fall roof gutter cleaning, your house is at risk from pesky invaders and other damages. In addition, the build-up of botanical debris such as leaves, twigs, dirt, acorns, and grass attracts insects that can find their way indoors.
Insects naturally feed on the mulch and can even build nests inside, attracting other insects, birds, and rodents. Animals of all kinds love to line up on your gutters for an instant buffet, but some can cause real damage. For example, an insistent woodpecker can punch holes in your gutters.
Rodents and raccoons also enjoy whatever snacks they may find, building nests or loosening the gutters, lessening drainage from diverting away from the house.
Damage to the Gutter System
In addition to the damage, unwanted guests create debris build-up and put added pressure on the seams, joints, and screws. The added weight of waste and water pulls the joined edges and corners apart or away from the house. It creates leakage where you don’t want it, and it can contort the gutters themselves, resulting in the need for repair.
Water also becomes trapped rather than flowing freely, which can prematurely rust out your gutters, leading to gutter replacement. As a result, damaged gutters can continue to trap water and debris, creating unpleasant odors, mold, and mildew.
Water Damage
Roof gutters are the horizontal drainage system installed along the roof’s edge to divert rainwater. The purpose of the gutters is to prevent water from pooling around the house’s foundation and leaking into the basement.
Water damage occurs when it can’t move freely away from the house via your roof gutters. When rainwater doesn’t drain properly, it overflows the gutters. Basement floods aren’t the only damage possible.
Rainwater can run freely down the siding and, over time, can degrade the surface or even seep into the substrate to cause interior damage. Not to mention how this damages the gutters themselves over time.
Leaking Roof
Without a thorough gutter cleaning service, the ongoing build-up and resulting water damage can cause internal structural damage to the house. The roof’s integrity becomes compromised, and wood, insulation, and drywall may become saturated during storms.
Water travels, and in this case, it will find every weak point to venture through, including through your roof, to create leaks inside your house!
What’s worse is that clogged gutters can lead to ice damns in the colder months, which are known to cause extensive damage to the house’s interior and exterior.
Get Your Gutters Serviced Today!
Roof gutter cleaning is a dirty job and involves a lot of ladder climbing, but with care, you can avoid extensive damage to your home with semi-annual gutter services.
RPM Home Services is the solution if you need gutter cleaning services, gutter repair, or replacement. With services in Ottawa, Toronto, Vaughn, Cambridge, and even Chicago, IL, we have over 80 years of experience and customer service excellence to take care of all your gutter needs.