Tag: gutter maintenance

Regular gutter maintenance is essential for protecting your home from water damage. By keeping gutters clean and free of debris, you ensure proper water flow and prevent issues like roof leaks, foundation erosion, and mold growth. Routine inspections and cleaning can extend the life of your gutters and safeguard your property.

It is easy to forget about your gutters, but they are one of the most important parts of your roofing system. Without properly working gutters, your roof is at risk of developing leaks and water damage, shortening the lifespan of the roof and creating more problems inside your home.

As such, properly maintaining your gutters is vital. Here is how to check whether your gutters need maintenance and how to ensure they are in proper working condition.

Your Gutters Are Overflowing

One of the surest signs that your gutters need maintenance is when water starts to overflow over the top of them. If you are seeing water overflow over the top of your gutters, that means that there is a blockage somewhere in the guttering system. 

You will need to visually inspect your gutters, and see where the blockage is. If you can easily see it, you should be able to remove the blockage, allowing water to again flow freely through them.

You Are Seeing Leaks Or Damp In Your Home

If you are seeing any kind of water damage within your home, often something with your roofing system as a whole will be at fault. When gutters need maintenance, they will not be able to redirect water safely. Instead, the overflow will allow the water to get in through the roof or seep in through your internal walls.

So, if you are seeing leaks, check your guttering. Look to see if there is a blockage or if the guttering itself has taken on damage and can no longer redirect water properly. 

Weeds Are Growing In The Gutters

When you look at your roof, do you see any weeds growing up there? Seeds are easily blown into gutters by the wind, and they are a very hospitable place for weeds to grow. With daylight and water easily available, those weeds will grow quicker than you would imagine.

If left unchecked, those weeds will start to cause blockages in your gutters, and start causing issues with redirecting rainwater. If you are seeing them, that is the time to start cleaning the gutters out and ensure they are still empty.

There Is Paint Damage On Your Home’s Exterior

Another key sign that to look for when checking your gutters is the siding on your home.  If you are seeing any paint peeling, bubbling, or chipping, that shows that water is making its way down the exterior of your home rather than the gutters. If left alone, again that is going to cause more water damage to your home over time.

This could either be a sign of a gutter blockage, or damage to the guttering itself. Take a look at the gutters above where the paint damage is happening, to see whether you need to call a professional in to help you.

Gutters Are Sagging

When you are inspecting your roof, are you seeing any of the guttering sagging?  This can either be happening because there is debris in the gutter weighing it down, or simply the weight of water in the gutter is making it sag. Either way, you need to correct the issue sooner rather than later, as water cannot easily make its way through that guttering system.

Check to see if there is debris there, and if there is clean it out so water can flow properly. If it is simply the weight of the water, then you will want to call a professional to correct the issue. They will be able to properly support the weight of the, or replace the guttering so it can handle water flowing through it.

Cracks In The Gutters

Again when inspecting your gutters, make sure you are keeping an eye out for any cracks in them. Even if there are small cracks in the guttering pipes, these can get bigger over time and will cause more damage to your home.

If you do see cracking, you will want to call out the professionals to take a look and repair or replace as a needed.

Rusting In Your Gutters

On a similar note, if you are seeing rust build-up on your gutters, that is an indication that that section of guttering will need to be replaced. Rust indicates that that section of gutter has become weakened, and if it is left alone, water will begin to leak through them either through into your home, or into your foundations.

You will often see people painting or ceiling a small patches of rust, in order to repair it. If you see that rust start to spread though, it is much better to replace it.

Loose Or Broken Seams

Your gutters are made up of several different sections of pipe, which are sealed together to create one unbroken pipe to redirect water.  Over time, those seams can sometimes become loose or separated. If you do see this happen, then water can easily start to leak through these broken seams.

At this point, it is usually a good idea to have the gutters replaced to ensure that your guttering system is fully capable of redirecting water safely.  

When Should You Call A Professional?

Now you know what you need to be looking for when it comes to gutter maintenance. If you do see any of the above issues, when should you be calling a professional to help you?

Typically, it is always a good idea to have a professional come if you are ever unsure of what the issue is, or you don’t feel confident in doing the repairs yourself. A good professional will always be able to carry out repairs safely and expertly, to ensure you do not experience the same issues again. Make sure you call them as soon as you do spot the problem, to prevent any further damage to your home.

Regularly inspecting your gutters is always a good idea, to make sure you can prevent water damage to your roof and home. Call a professional if there are ever issues commerce to get them repairs ask quickly as possible.

If you live in Virginia areas such as Warren, Fairfax, Winchester, or Leesburg, Piedmont Roofing will be happy to help you with your roofing needs.

Your roof keeps your home dry and protected as it sheds water and snow. Your gutters are a key component of the drainage system that keeps the water and moisture moving away from your structure. When you have clogged gutters, it puts your home at risk.

No matter what type of gutter your home has, they work in the same way, and all will collect debris that will block the flow of water.

To ensure that your gutters are doing their best job, it’s essential that they are kept clean and not allowed to clog, which can lead to larger problems you’ve never thought about.

Let’s look at some of the worst-case scenarios of clogged gutters, and then at what the solutions are.

What happens when your gutters are clogged?

Clogged gutters can cause damage to many parts of your home.

Some of the most common damages to your home include:

1. Standing water damage
2. Wood damage
3. Stone and brick damage
4. Foundation damage
5. Yard damage
6. Pest influx
7. Broken gutters from ice

Below, we discuss the different types of damage caused by clogged gutters in detail (and how to fix these issues).

1. Standing water is the enemy

Your gutters are designed to keep water away from your walls and foundation, allowing it to drain to your yard.

When a clog occurs, water can pool and contribute to all kinds of problems that result in costly repairs.

Clogged gutters lead to poor drainage that can affect your home from top to bottom.

2. Wood damage is common

It is likely that the fascia boards that hold the gutters on your home are made of wood.

When water overflows the sides of your gutter, the area it covers will begin to deteriorate and rot. This accelerates the decay of the wood – and the end result is costly replacements.

If your home has wood siding, the water pushed off by gutter clogs can cascade down the exterior walls of your home, creating paint damage, mildew, and rapid aging.

3. Stone and brick damage is also possible

Your stone or brick home is not immune to water damage, either.

When clogged gutters force water onto the sides of your home, the damage still adds up.

The prolonged exposure to moisture can cause cracking, mortar deterioration, and mold.

What starts as a simple clog can result in a great deal of scrubbing, treatment, and repairs to your exterior walls.

4. Foundation damage is seldom considered

This largely hidden part of your home can be affected in serious ways by improper drainage.

When gutters clog and malfunction, water is allowed to pool in one area around your foundation. This will create cracks and possibly displace your foundation.

Crawl spaces will also be affected, and costly repairs can result.

If your home has a basement, the same standing water can lead to interior wall damage, mold, decay and other problems.

5. Your yard will suffer

Nothing will take out a flower bed or other planted area like standing or streaming water.

When gutters don’t work properly due to clogs, the downpour can create muddy areas where nothing will grow, wash out the valuable soil around roots, and kill plants.

In addition, all that mulch you’ve spent time installing on your beds? A misplaced downpour from gutter overflow can float it away.

6. Yes, pests too

Standing water is also an invitation to a variety of insect problems.

It’s not only biting mosquitoes, which can lay and hatch eggs in just over a week – standing water also attracts wood destroying pests such as termites and carpenter ants.

In addition to any puddles formed by the overflow from clogged gutters, the water still in the gutter is more than enough to create cycle after cycle of mosquitoes.

This is a nearly invisible source of bites and distress, all above your head.

7. Ice damage is water damage, too

Although you might think about your gutters the most during the rainy season, they are also important when the temperature drops in the fall and winter. Some of the worst damage caused by clogged gutters can happen during this time of year.

In the winter, clogged gutters will contribute to ice dams. These form when ice build-up along the edge of the roof prevents melting water from draining – creating a “dam”.

With nowhere to go, the water can back up and begin to seep between the shingles, creeping into the attic and possible further down.

Ice dams can occur any time a snow is followed by a thaw and then a temperature drop into the freezing range. In other words – often, in our area.

Ice puddles and icicles will form when gutters are clogged and not draining properly. In a shady spot or side of the house, a puddle can create a black ice hazard, causing dangerous slips or falls.

Closer to the roof, large icicles can be formed as water melts and collects at a clog. Although a fun part of the winter landscape, too many large icicles can actually get heavy enough to break or bend a gutter – causing even more problems.

 

What to do about your clogged gutters

1. Be a detective

The next time it rains, take a walk around your house. Check for spots that are overflowing the gutter rim, visible signs of debris above the edge of the gutter, and downspouts that don’t seem to be releasing much water.

In the winter – keep an eye out for the icicles mentioned above, as well as ice accumulation in strange areas.

2. Clean them yourself

If you don’t mind heights, have a good ladder, a long hose, and something to shovel with, you can clean your gutters yourself. This is not recommended if your house is more than one story tall.

There are also a variety of tools that you can purchase and use – from shop vacuum attachments to extension grabbers. These are all dependent on your love of gadgets and your patience.

Either way, the recommendation for cleaning your gutters is twice a year – more often if you have a lot of trees in your yard.

Spring and Fall are the most effective times for this task – that’s when leaves and blooms drop.

3. Hire a gutter cleaning service

When your home is more than two stories tall, you don’t have a good ladder, time, or you’ve been reading some of the latest statistics on ladder falls, you’ll want to consider hiring someone to clean your gutters.

A competent company can clean your clogged gutters for you while you stay calm and clean – and on the ground.

4. Install gutter guards or covers

Another option is adding covers to your existing gutters that will filter the debris without obstructing the flow of water. Several styles are available to choose from.

These can be added to match your home, reduce maintenance, and are easily installed by your contractor.

Conclusion

Gutters are designed to move water away from your home, prevent standing water, and protect your structure.

When they do this job well, they prevent a variety of problems that can prevent costly repair. Clogs from leaves and other debris are the primary cause of gutters not performing their job.

A regular gutter cleaning schedule and the addition of gutter covers can help prevent everything from foundation repairs to mosquito bites to mold to leaks.

Be sure to add regular gutter cleanings to your annual “To-Do” list; you’ll be so glad you did.