What Your Gutters Need This Fall

Fall is the toughest season on your home’s gutters. Leaves slide off your roof, then rain packs them into gutters, making them heavy with debris. Gutter maintenance isn’t fun, but it’s an important part of protecting your roof, your attic, and your foundation. Here’s what you need to know.

The Dangers of Neglected Gutters

Builders install gutters to route rain away from your home. When gutters are clogged with leaves and yard debris, several problems can arise:

• Debris-filled gutters can fall off the house, sometimes taking trim along with them.
• Water that can’t flow through gutters may flood inside your property.
• Falling water may erode soil along your foundation. Repeated freezing and thawing can cause your foundation to crack.
• Water that freezes inside clogged gutters can create ice dams that damage your roof and cause leaks inside your home.
• Overflow streams down the side of your home, discoloring siding and brick.

Gather Your Tools

As soon as the last leaf falls, get ready to clean out your gutters before severe winter weather hits. You’ll need a sturdy ladder, safety goggles and gloves, a garden hose, a trowel, and some plastic grocery bags.

How to Clean Your Gutters

Set up your ladder on level, solid ground next to a downspout, then complete these steps:

1. Use your trowel to scoop out debris, moving gradually away from the downspout.
2. Place debris in plastic grocery bags for easy disposal. As soon as one bag is full, just tie it and let it fall to the ground to pick up later.
3. Once you’ve removed leaves and twigs, wash away dirt and small debris with your water hose, rinsing through the downspout. If your downspout is clogged, you may need a plumber’s snake to unstop it.
4. Trim any branches touching your roof to reduce the number of leaves that drop there next year.
5. Inspect gutters for sagging, splitting seams, or loose downspouts.

When to Call for Help

If you’re not comfortable working your way around your roof on a ladder, call a gutter cleaning specialist. Read reviews online and find a business that is licensed, bonded, and insured.

Gutter leaf protection systems keep leaves and yard debris out of gutters, so you never have to clean your gutters again. Seamless gutters stand up to the most severe weather conditions. Tri County Windows & Siding offers free estimates for all exterior projects. Contact us for a FREE, no-obligation estimate today!