4 Reasons To Clean Your Gutters Annually

There are lots of things to worry about when it comes to keeping your house safe and protected. Each season has its own concerns. In summer, you know to mow the lawn and water your garden. Winter brings with it the joys of snow shoveling and ice removal. And in autumn, chances are you spend most of your free time raking an endless amount of leaves.

It's not only the yard that's affected. Did you know that leaves, along with other debris, can clog up your gutters and prevent them from doing their job? If left unchecked, clogged gutters can lead to problems that can cost you thousands of dollars to fix.

So why should you care about cleaning your gutters every year? The answer rests on this very famous quote, ascribed to Benjamin Franklin: "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".

With that in mind, here are four important reasons you should clean your gutters this fall.

PREVENT WATER DAMAGE

Water damage can threaten your home without you realizing it. Especially during the fall, leaves and other debris fill and eventually clog up your gutters. Your gutters direct water away from your home’s foundation. If the gutters aren’t properly cleaned, they can’t do their job effectively. This means that water can spill down and corrode the exterior siding of your home. Eventually, this leads to leaks and mold growth within the walls. In addition to being an expensive repair, the presence of mold in your home can affect the health of your entire household.

LEAKS AND WATER POOLING

Direct water damage is not the only problem that arises from having clogged gutters. In 2019, Massachusetts saw a deadly increase in the rise of Eastern Equine Encephalitis - or EEE - a disease carried and transmitted by mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are drawn to stagnant bodies of water - and gutters are no exception to this. By making sure your gutters are clear of any debris, you are taking a step to protect yourself from mosquito-borne illnesses.

FOUNDATION CRACKS

As stated above, gutters play an essential role in keeping your home’s foundation strong and intact. Water damage to exterior siding is dangerous on its own. But if water finds its way to your home’s foundation, the results can be devastating. If you do need to repair structural damage to your foundation, the cost is often several thousands of dollars. In severe cases, you may even need to temporarily move out of your home. Taking the steps to properly clean out your gutters goes a long way to prevent the financial, emotional and physical toll of having to do major structural repairs to your home’s foundation.

ICE DAMS

Typically, the best time to clean your gutters is before the start of winter, preferably towards the end of October or beginning of November. Why? It reduces the threat of melting snow from ice dams along your gutters. Much like the threat of clogged gutters with a heavy rainstorm, the melted snow can remain stuck in your gutters if they are filled with leaves and other debris. So even though those icicles outside may look pretty, they may be indicative of a bigger problem! Snowplows disperse salt on the roads ahead of a blizzard to prevent the effect of ice and heavy snow and to protect vehicles in the process. Cleaning your gutters in the fall provides similar benefits. You may not be able to control the weather this winter, but having a plan in place to prevent issues with melted snow and ice protects you and your home.

So there you have it!

Four very good reasons you should clean your gutters annually. Give us a call at 781-647-1209 and we will deliver clean gutters and peace of mind for you when the wind, rain and snow inevitably show up on the forecast in the coming months. We look forward to helping you get your gutters ready this fall.