How Often Should You Clean Your Gutters?

As a homeowner, you’ve probably heard at least once that cleaning your gutters is an important part of general home maintenance. Keeping your gutters clear of debris and leaves can help prevent some overflow and significant damage. If your gutters are too packed with debris, they could become overly heavy and begin to tear away from your house. They could also see water overflow, which could damage the landscaping underneath them or result in damage to your sidewalks or foundation.

So how often do you need to clean your gutters, and what else do you need to know about gutter cleaning? Here’s some information from a gutter contractor in Pensacola, FL that might be of some use to you.

How often do I need to clean them?

A good general rule is that you should clean your gutters twice a year: once in the fall and once in the spring. However, this can vary depending on how many trees you have around your property. Also, if you have gutter protectors installed on your gutters, you might not ever actually need to clean them out at all—that’s just one of the benefits of those gutter protectors.

Why is it so important for me to keep my gutters clean?

As mentioned previously, gutter overflow can lead to a lot of problems. The water will wrap around the roof and fascia and could start to get into the house or erode the foundation. Termites will be drawn to the moisture in the area, which could result in additional damage to any wood around those areas. Overflowing water from gutters also erodes the ground beneath them, so it’s good to get them as clear as possible.

I’ve decided to replace my gutters. What should I know to keep them in good condition?

If just cleaning out your gutters isn’t enough and they’re old and damaged to the point where you need new ones, it’s important for you to make sure you get high-quality gutters. The biggest problem that tends to occur with gutters is poor quality material. Cheap vinyl or thin metal that homeowners install themselves tends to last nowhere near as long as gutters made with high-quality materials and installed by professionals. Also, ask the contractor if the gutter will be primed to the roof edge, ensuring it will be watertight. That can go a long way toward keeping your gutters in great shape.

If you do get new gutters, they should last you for decades. Aluminum, for example, does not deteriorate, and will generally be under warranty for at least 20 years, but they should last you longer than that as long as you keep up with your gutter cleanings and maintenance. Cleaning your gutters is not only important for the long-term condition of your property, but also for the condition of the gutters themselves. If you’ve put that much of an investment into your gutters, it only makes sense to do everything you can to keep them in great shape for years to come.

For more information about how often you should clean your gutters and why doing so is so important, contact Gutter Master to speak with a gutter contractor in Pensacola, FL today.

Categorised in: Gutter Contractors

This post was written by Writer