Keep gutters clean to protect your home
When is the last time you had your gutter system inspected? If you don’t keep gutters free of clogs and working properly, many problems can occur. Sometimes they can be severe enough to lower your property value and result in expensive repairs.
First, when gutters are clogged this creates a perfect environment for many types of pests such as cockroaches (Palmetto Bugs) and ants. They will have food, moisture, and a protected area to live and breed, plus will have easy access to your attic through the eaves. Standing water in gutters will also breed mosquitoes, flies, gnats, and other pesky flying insects.
Besides attracting pests, clogged gutters can result in damaging your home. It can cause eaves and fascia boards to rot when the water builds up and sits stagnant against them. These areas are commonly attacked by carpenter ants which can cause even more damage. Replacing rotten fascia boards can be expensive. Clogged gutters also allow water to pool around the foundation of the home which weakens it. This can cause cracks in the foundation to occur, or form penetration points that allow water to seep into the crawlspace or basement. In the winter, frozen water in the gutters can block the flow of unfrozen water from the roof. This excess water can weaken the shingles and wood and cause roof leaks. Finally, when clogged gutters don’t divert water away from the home, this will allow pools of water to accumulate. These pools of water can freeze in the winter and pose a major safety hazard to you and anyone else walking around these areas.
If you notice water spilling over the front or back of your rain gutters then something is wrong. It can be from debris in the gutter, such as leaves, sticks, pine needles, roofing materials, etc. The problem can also be due to faulty gutter hanging brackets. The brackets may sag over time, or completely fall off, and need to be adjusted or replaced.
As you can see, cleaning gutters is vitally important to the long term health of your home. Experts recommend that you clean and inspect your gutters in the Spring and in the late fall, or even more often depending on the number of nearby trees. Doing this is laborious and time-consuming. It can also be dangerous because it usually requires climbing up and down a ladder or getting on the roof. Since cleaning gutters is a hard and dangerous job, eliminate this maintenance by having gutter protection installed. A properly installed gutter protection system will keep out leaves and debris and allow water to flow freely through the gutters. Call Terminix Service for a free gutter inspection and protection estimate. Having clog-free functional gutters will help keep insects away and protect your home.