Clean Your Gutters

12/4/2015 (Permalink)

The first signs of fall are unmistakable—the air gets a little crisp and the leaves on the trees begin to change color. It’s a gorgeous sight, but it’s also a sign of a whole lot of work ahead. After all, those leaves will soon fall off those trees and many of them will end up in your gutters. It’s important to make sure all that debris is gone before winter arrives.

While it’s still dry out, the leaves won’t cause much of a problem. However, as soon as you get your first heavy rain storm, the problems will start to pop up. If your gutters are filled with leaves, the rain can’t drain out properly. When this happens, your gutters will overflow, and the water could cause water damage to walls, soffits, fascia, siding, basements, and even your foundation.

If water does back up in your gutters, the debris and pooling water can start to eat away at the gutter materials, which can cause holes and leaks. Once you have holes, it might not be a simple fix—you could end up having to replace your gutters entirely.

How often you clean your gutters depends largely on where you live. If you live in an area without any trees around, you can probably get away with cleaning your gutters just once a year, since they aren’t filling up with leaves and other debris as quickly. Of course, if there is a tree close to your house that does lose its leaves, you might have to clean them more often.