Regular cleaning of your home’s gutters is one of the most overlooked maintenance chores for homeowners today. However, this simple task prevents many expensive home repairs later down the road.
Gutters are built and designed to quickly and efficiently move rain water from your roof surface to controlled areas on the ground, away from your home.
Gutters that have filled up with debris such as leaves, mosses, & sticks cause blockage and prevent the draining of rainwater – eventually flooding the system. When full, the water has nowhere to go and spills over the front and back of the gutters. Additionally, the water and materials are quite heavy and gutter systems are not designed to hold that kind of weight.
Over time, the excessive weight will pull the gutter nails or screws out of the fascia – allowing more moisture between the gutter and fascia. This further accelerates the rotting of the fascia boards and soffits. This leads to more wind & rain intrusion, rot, infestation of animals, and even growth of small saplings and plants. Too often, rot, roof leaks, and premature roof wear are the result of plugged gutters.
Water spilling over the edges of the gutter system can also cause expensive cracking and settling of your foundation, wet basements, and crawlspaces.
To avoid these problems, gutters should be cleaned out twice a year.
Professionals recommend they be cleaned out in late fall after the leaves have come down, and then again in the springtime. You can hire this work done, do it yourself, or you can always have gutter guards installed to eliminate the problem completely.
This simple habit will save you money and headaches in the future.
For more information or quotes on your Home and Auto Insurance, please contact Kylie Schultz at Beck Insurance Agency in Archbold or Whitehouse, Ohio. You can reach Kylie by calling 419-446-2777, sending an email to help@beckinsurance.com, or you can click here to submit your request.
