Home Maintenance Tip #5
It’s that time again. The leaves are changing color and falling and guess what you get to do this weekend? That’s right, clean out those grubby gutters! We know, it’s your favorite past time event. Just don’t have too much fun up on your roof leaning over to scoop out all those leaves after watching football and drinking too much beer. In fact, you really shouldn’t be up on the roof trying to clean out your gutters. Get your extra long ladder out along with a pressure washer if you have one and use that instead. Also, if your the type that’s thinking that you’ll just wait until fall is over and then clean the gutters you might want to re-think that approach. Here’s why;
1. If your gutters need repair now, if you wait, you may get water damage inside your walls and around the foundation of your home.
2. A build up of moldy decaying leaves leads to all sorts of problems including all sorts of insects that will want to make that environment their new home.
3. The weight of an entire season of leaves on any gutter system is a lot. If your gutter system doesn’t need any reinforcement, by the end of the season it probably will. AKA. added repair cost that could have been avoided with a little proactive home maintenance.
Your gutter systems job is to collect and direct rainwater away from your home. When leaves build up it can’t do it’s job and your homes landscape and foundation are compromised.
Typically gutter systems only need to be cleaned twice a year; once in the spring and once in the fall. However, if you live in the South be sure to clean them at least three times per year especially if your home is shaded; once in the spring, once at the beginning of fall and once at the end of fall.
Get prepared for the gutter cleaning by buying at least a few new sections of the type of gutter system you have and some gutter support hangers. That way, when your up on the ladder clearing and evaluating the condition of the gutter system, when you find a section that needs to be replaced or better secured with support hangers, your ready.
Its a good idea to use a pressure washer to remove all of the remaining dirt and debris after you have scooped out the leaves by hand. Be sure to pressure wash the downspout to clear any clogs that might have occurred. If the downspout remains clogged after pressure washing it then you’ll need to use a plumbers snake to dislodge it and clear it out. Check the end of the downspout that touches the ground to be sure the downspout is directing the water away from your homes foundation. Adding a gutter downspout splash block is usually a good idea if your landscaping doesn’t have one built in.
If all of this seems daunting you may want to hire a company to come out and clean your gutters. That way you won’t have to get up on a high ladder and you can schedule this in each season for peace of mind while you have someone else do the job for you.
If you maintain your gutter system each season you will extend the life of the system, avoid water damage on the interior and exterior walls and avoid costly foundation issues that arise when water erodes around the parameter of the foundation of your home.
Tools required: ladder, gloves, hand shovel, bucket, power drill, support hangers, screws.
Tools that may be needed: power washer or garden hose, downspout splash blocks, plumbers snake, gutter system replacement parts.
Money saved: cost of ignoring and then having to replace your gutter system, interior wall water damage, foundation erosion correction cost.
