Clean Your Gutters - Why It's So Important!

Unless you're an odd type of creature, most every homeowner or maintenance person can agree that cleaning your gutters is not the semi-annual project you look forward to most. It's usually messy, smelly, gunky, and funky. It's tiring hauling and moving a ladder. You're not as strong as you thought you were. Those gutter straps leave barely any room for your hands to scoop the debris. And few people enjoy working at heights above 10' or so. But understanding the importance of gutter maintenance can be crucial and help alleviate some of the dread and anxiety leading up to gutter cleaning day. What would cost you simply a few hours a year could end up saving you thousands in damage to your home's roof, gutters, walls, and foundation.

Why Clean My Gutters?

The average American house has an average roof size of 1,700 sq. ft., according to RoofingCalc.Com, and all the water falling on that area needs to be collected and disposed of in some way. Withouth rain gutters, the water would drip off the edges of the roof and collect at the base of the foundation all around the house. The basic idea behind the gutter is to control water dripping off roofs in order to prevent damage to building walls, foundations, gutters, yard, and to avoid drenching people standing below with heavy rainflow collected on the roof. Additionally, flat roofing systems require rain gutter systems to help reduce the buildup of excess weight and to prevent leaks from forming.

Gutters, or eavestrough, are designed to attach to the face of the roof, the fascia (the boards behind the gutters), via screws or naits, or be hung on the roof with various types of straps. All gutter design systesm are intendted to collect rain from the roof and take it away from the foundation of the home through downspouts. In order for the gutter system to funciton property and protect your property, the gutters and downspouts need to be free of leaves, sticks, asphalt granuals, and other debris. Clogged gutters can cause overflows of water, and with nowhere to go, it will fill up the gutter and overflow onto the ground and around the foundation of the building or home. Water may enter your basement or crawl space causing a need for foundation repair, and if water leaks into your basement, your home could potentially be at risk of mold.

A build up of material in your gutters can also cause a weight strain on your roof and the fascia. If the gutters are becoming too heavy or the supporting system is improper, they could possibly collapse off of your home, causing damage to the roof, eaves, and exterior walls of the house.

When and How Should I Clean My Gutters?

Since you now understand the importance of cleaning your gutters, the next question becomes when should I clean my gutters, and how? The 'when' part is a little bit easier than the 'how' portion of that question.

On average, you only need to clean your gutters twice a year. Once in the spring and once in the fall. If you don't live near many trees and know that very little debris collects in your gutters, you could probably get away with doing it just once a year, especially if there are other factors making cleaning them a barrier for you. Conversely, if you live near lots of trees or are right near certain species that fill your gutters monthly during the summer seasons with all sorts of organic matter and such, or you live in a climate that drops to freezing tempurates for a seasons, you may need to start a maintenance plan of cleaning them 3+ times a year. This would also take into consideration your yard and surrounding landscape conditions, as well as the foundation's construction and current condition, to ensure proper drainage. Finally, sometimes after large stroms, its important to do a cleaning or assessment of your gutter system, to check to damage or sudden debris buildup.

When it comes to 'how' to clean your gutters, there is no one single method that is best for all people and buildings. Single level flat and low sloped roofs make quicker work of cleaning your gutters, while multi story homes and steep roofs require working solely off a ladder significantly slows down work, in addition to creating a working enviornment with more potential hazards. The complexity of your building and roof structure may allow you to clean your gutters yourself, walking on it and dumping your collectings below, or may force you to hire it out to a contractor like myself.

If you decide to clean the gutter system yourself, there are a few tried and tre methods of doing it. The most common way is to use gloves and a bucket, sometimes attached to the ladder or sitting on the roof, and simply scooping the debris from the gutter. Others prefer to use a hose, pressure washer, or leaf blower. Additionally, garden tools, specialty hose attachments, gutter robots, and in some climates, ice picks, have been needed to ensure proper drainage. You can use a drain snake for stubborn downspouts but shaking and rattling them usually works to clear most debris.

TL;DR: Regular maintenance and cleaning of your gutters can prevent damage to your home's roof, exterior, and foundation, saving you possibly thousands in repair costs. Do it at least twice a year and don't ignore it because it's not that hard or expensive in the long run relative to the general value of the property and it's potential issues.

Good luck and be safe,

- Andy