Have you taken a good look at your gutters lately? If not, you could be allowing damage to your home without even realizing it. When gutters become clogged with leaves, sticks, and other debris, it can lead to some costly issues. Here’s what you need to know about keeping your gutters clear and protecting your house.

How Clogged Gutters Lead to Water Issues

Clogged gutters can’t properly divert rainwater away from your home. When water can’t drain correctly, it will overflow and run down the exterior walls of your house. Over time, this leads to peeling paint, wood rot, mold growth, and damaged brickwork. But even worse, excess water pouring down next to the foundation can leak into basements or crawl spaces. This introduces moisture into areas that need to remain dry and leads to flooding, mold blooms, warped flooring, eroding concrete, and high humidity levels that promote pest infestations.

The Dangers of Excess Weight on Your Gutters

Gutters filled with debris quickly become very heavy. In our professional experience, most residential gutters are only built to withstand up to 20 pounds of weight per 10 feet of gutter. Any more than that, and you risk sagging and detachment from the home. A partially detached gutter will leak water behind it, leading to wood rot and pest access. A completely detached gutter will funnel hundreds of gallons of water right next to your home’s foundation during moderate and heavy rains. This quick deluge of fluid can cause basement flooding, foundation cracking, and collapse of exterior grading. It’s a recipe for very expensive repairs.

How to Prevent Clogs and Gutter Damage

According to Home Depot, at minimum, you should have your gutters cleaned every six months. Spring and fall are best, which allow you to remove the bulk of wintertime buildup and catch any new debris before it accumulates. Carefully removing sticks, leaves, and other blockages by hand is one option. However, the safest method is to hire a professional gutter cleaning company. Their special equipment allows them to thoroughly clean out your entire gutter system without risking damage that can occur from climbing a ladder yourself. A gutter cleaning company can also make note of any necessary repairs during the cleaning process. This prevents small issues from becoming major repairs later on.

Your home is likely your biggest investment as a homeowner. Don’t allow clogged gutters and overflowing rainwater to jeopardize that investment! Schedule an appointment with Pro Gutter Systems, a qualified gutter cleaning company, to prevent further issues and confirm your gutters are in good, functioning condition.