Why Clean The Gutters?

The idea of cleaning a home gutter system is enough to make anyone groan. The pain begins early with having to find all the tools you will need to get this dirty project finished. Find the ladder, find the water hose and then get it up on the ladder with you. Endure cold water splashing your face and dirt and mud splatter your clothing. Oh, yes. This is fun.

As agonizing as this work may be, it is still important work. A clogged gutter system, whether it is at the home or at the business site, can cause a lot of problems if left unattended. Here are just a few problems you may encounter if your do not keep that gutter system cleaned out:

Overflow: Everyone has seen or been drenched by water that is flowing over the sides of a clogged gutter. The act of trying to dodge the water or somehow wiggle through it never seems to work. You, your family, your guests, your workers, your business visitors...everyone gets wet.

Landscape damage: A blocked gutter system can overflow just about anywhere along the system. For some buildings this can mean a heavy downpour right onto valuable landscaping that may be located directly below the gutter. Not only can this downpour damage the plants and flowers but it can also cause the soil to erode and be washed away.

Foundation damage: This closely resembles landscape damage but rather than plants and landscaping features being damaged it is the building's foundation that suffers. Heavy downpours close to a building's foundation can cause the soil to wash away, exposing the foundation to the elements. When this type of erosion is left unchecked, it can, over time, weaken the foundation and cause major problems to the building's structure and integrity.

Gutter support failure: One last issue that a clogged gutter system can cause is the support system holding up the gutter can fail. One gallon of water weighs about 8.35 pounds. Multiply that number by the true amount of water that may be trapped inside the gutter channels and you can see just how much weight the support system must hold up. It is not uncommon for nails and other types of fasteners to pull away from the building, thus leading to the gutter either failing completely or falling out of alignment (sagging).