We’ve all seen them: houses with plants sprouting from their gutters
due to a buildup of leaves, maple “helicopters,” and the like.
These “volunteer” plantings don’t just detract from your home’s
appearance, however—they also mean that your home is at risk for
potential damage. Leaving gutters clogged for too long could mean you’ll
end up shelling out big bucks to your local roofing company, not to
mention dealing with major repairs to walls and even your foundation.
Gutters are designed to carry rainwater and melting ice and snow to
downspouts, which in turn carry that water out and away from your
foundation, lessening the chance that it will leak into your home.
If your gutters become badly clogged, water can start to back up into
walls, causing serious damage and eventually rot and mold. Ice dams and
icicles—something we’re all familiar with here on the north shore—can
mean that clogged gutters are causing water to back up under your
roof—another costly issue likely to cost you hundreds, if not thousands
of dollars to repair.
Luckily, cleaning your gutters is a fairly easy task if you’re handy and
have a sturdy ladder, work gloves, a trowel, and, ideally, a hose to
help blast away on stuck-on leaves and debris. Of course, tasks like
this can lead to slips and falls, so if you aren’t sure-footed or don’t
have a safe ladder, your best bet is to hire someone to tackle the job.
Usually, it’s not a terribly expensive task to hire out, and cleaning
twice a year—spring and fall—should do the trick to keep your gutters
flowing freely.
Remember, though—it’s not just your gutters that need cleaning; don’t
forget those downspouts! It won’t matter how clean your gutters are if
the downspouts that take the water away from your home are plugged with
leaves, pine needles, maple helicopters, remnants of birds’ nests, and
other debris.
Don’t want to bother? Contact Olympic Roofing, Massachusetts and New Hampshire’s trusted roofing company, and ask about our roof and gutter maintenance services.
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