You may not have thought much about your gutters lately, but now that the fall season is quickly approaching, it’s the best time to get up there and clean out your gutters. Cleaning your gutters helps keep them in a good working order and prevents clogging, draining issues, and other potentially serious damages.

When it rains heavily, a large volume of water is deposited on your roof that must be drained away in a very short time. Your gutters channel this water along the edges of the roof, through the downpipes and into the drains below. If your gutters are blocked, this water is unable to escape and builds up rapidly.

Here is a brief overview of the risks incurred if you do not clean your gutters :

• Overflows: Rain gutters and downpipes are designed to channel rainwater away from the home and its foundation.
• Leaking gutters and roofs: A leak can cause mold and rotting, leading to the gutter giving away and falling from your roof.
• Cracked foundation. Cracks may form if water spills over the sides of blocked rain gutters, seeps into the foundation and freezes.

• Insect invasion: Where there is moisture, bugs will go. Without a properly maintained gutter, bugs will grow to love your wet and moisture-filled gutters. Nasty critters like carpenter ants, roaches, earwigs, mosquitoes and even termites are likely to cause an infestation in a non-maintained gutter.

• Drowning Landscape: When a gutter is damaged or unable to retain water, the water then leaks out to the landscape, including your exterior plants. Overwatered plants can turn dull and die, causing an ugly and drowning landscape.

Here are the main reasons why you need to keep your gutters clean :

1 Overflows

When water overflows, one of several things are likely to happen:

• It will run onto and over the eaves of your house, back into your roof and then into your ceiling.
• It will splash onto the ground under your gutters, causing erosion of garden beds and water pooling along the walls.
• It will run down the exterior walls of your house and saturate your foundations, which can lead to structural damage over time.

2- Leaking gutters and roofs

Your gutters are one play an important role in protecting your house. They’re one of the most underrated barriers against water damage that your house has. Leaving your gutters blocked with leaves, twigs, and debris leaves your house open to the destructive nature of water. Gutters are designed to reroute water and keep it away from your roof, siding, and foundation. The three areas that are the most devastating when damaged by water. If left unchecked, this dampening will become worse, resulting in mold and mildew. You’ll most likely end up having to replace your roof and siding or have your foundation repaired sooner than if your gutters had been properly maintained. Keeping your gutters clean and properly maintained is both beneficial and crucial to protect your house.

3 Foundation cracks

Foundation cracks occur when water is absorbed into the house. More likely to occur during colder months due to freezing temperatures and possible frost heave, water buildup will cause wall cracks and cracks in the foundation itself.
Moreover, water backed up in gutters is heavy which can cause the gutter attachments to pull away from the wood fascia it is attached to, damaging the wood.
Not as easy to see, this damage occurs in between walls and can eventually lead to mold in your house.

4 Insect Infestation

You never know what could be hanging out in your gutters.  Lots of critters like dark, damp, or remote places like a gutter, including birds, rodents, bees, and other insects.  Decaying leaf matter can also contain mold spores or other bacteria that could pose a health risk when inhaled.

5 Drowning landscape :

When a gutter is damaged or unable to retain water, the water then leaks out to the landscape, including your exterior plants. Overwatered plants can turn dull and die, causing an ugly and drowning landscape

 

Save yourself time, trouble and money by having your gutters and downpipes professionally cleaned today!

Why not give a call to Peter James Gutter Cleaning Melbourne to get a free, no-obligation quotation. From your first call you’ll understand why Melbourne residents choose Peter James Gutter Cleaning over and over again.