An often overlooked responsibility homeowners should try to stay on top of are their gutters. From ensuring the home is equipped with them to keeping up with cleaning, repairs, and maintenance it can be more work than one may have initially anticipated. Below we break down everything related to gutter maintenance including cleaning, damage prevention, and the tell tale signs around your property that can indicate gutter problems.

Cleaning

Gutters face rain, sun, wind, and snow on a daily basis and the weather tends to play the largest part in determining how often they will need to be cleaned. If your property is located somewhere it frequently rains or is windy, chances are your gutters will need to be addressed two to four times a year, especially if you’re located near many trees. If your property is located down in sunny southern California then you can probably get away with annual or semi-annual cleanings.

Prevention

Taking steps to prevent gutter problems before they occur help save you countless hours of headache and thousands of dollars in damages. Gutters left ignored for long can become breeding grounds for mosquitoes, cockroaches, spiders, rats and more. The unchecked presence of animals, mold, and algae can eventually build up enough that gutters can become clogged and lead to costly flooding issues. A simple way to prevent all of these issues is to install high quality gutter guards and maintain cleanings.

What to Look For

Unless you spend much time up on the roof you probably have no idea what state your gutters are in. Without even stepping foot on the roof there are a few major tell tale signs to watch out for that can point to more serious problems with your gutters. For example, an increased presence of mosquitos around the property can demonstrate there may be standing water in the gutters. Flooding around the building can indicate your gutters are clogged, which can eventually even lead to foundation erosion.

Final Thoughts

If you can’t remember the last time your gutters were paid any attention or have come across one of the tell tale signs of gutter damage, it can quickly become quite the time intensive project. For your personal safety and to save you countless hours of work we recommend bringing in the experts. Visit our website for a list of our services or call us at (410) 360-7887 for more information.