3 Easy Steps To Prevent Gutters From Being Clogged

Gutters! When was the last time you gave your gutters any thought? Most people don't think about their gutters until they start to cause problems, it's one of the most frequently neglected responsibilities. However, they are one of the most important parts of your home and should be on your mind.

When gutters get clogged, the problem isn't just the waterfalls that come down from the roof when it rains or the pretty icicles that hang around in the winter. This extra water does a lot of damage to the structure of your home. A house's gutter system is made to move water off the roof and away from the house and its foundation so that it can drain properly. When water gets stuck in the gutters and tries to drain, it takes the path of least resistance, which is often the walls and ceilings of your house.

Water flowing over your clogged gutters can cause damage to the exterior of your home. However, if the water gets inside a wall, the damage is much worse than the exterior damage. Wet wood rots and loses its strength, which can't be seen until it's too late because it happens behind the siding. Also, water that can't get out of the gutters can freeze and then push up against the roof structure, getting under the shingles and destroying the wood, which can lead to even more leaks. Clogged gutters can also cause basements to flood and foundations to crack. If water doesn't get away from the house and pools around the foundation, it will freeze and expand, causing cracks that let water into your basement. The cost could be in the thousands to repair!

Now that we understand WHY clogged gutters are such a disaster for our house, the next question is: what can we do to fix the problem? Here are some steps you can start taking today to prevent clogged gutters.

1) GUTTER MAINTENANCE

Maintaining your gutters on a routine basis is the first and most important step in reducing the likelihood of them becoming clogged. If you are unable to clean your gutters on your own in order to perform this maintenance, then you should consider hiring a company to do it for you throughout the year. They are equipped with the necessary experience and tools to complete the task successfully. No matter what you choose to do, the recommendation is that you clean your gutters at least twice a year, if not more frequently than that.

2) TRIMMING THE TREES AROUND YOUR HOUSE

A simple way to keep your gutters from getting clogged is to keep the trees around your house trimmed and away from the gutters. When leaves and other tree debris get wet and get stuck in gutters, they can get very heavy, which could damage the gutters themselves. Again this is a step you can do yourself or hire a company to complete for you.

3) GUTTER SCREENS

It's not that hard to put up gutter screens. You can do this yourself, or if you don't have the time, you can hire a company to do it for you. Gutters screens keep big things like leaves from getting into your gutters. Gutter screens is a good investment but the downside is that they still allow for shingle grains and pine needles to get into the gutters.

Here at Accurate Roofing Pros, LLC of Gainesville Georgia, we have trained repair technicians that will come out and clean your gutter system and inspect your decking and fascia. They will take their time to make sure all debris is removed from the gutter system, therefore, allowing proper water flow so your gutter system can operate the way it was designed. If there is a problem will the flow of water our technician can re-nail gutters, and seal leaky joints.

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