We get this question all of the time and truthfully, the answer depends on the environment you live in. Are you in a suburb with little to no trees around? Are you on a property with tons of trees touching your roof or hovering over it? In some cases, you may be able to get away with cleaning your gutters once or twice a year. If your home has lots of trees or foliage around, cleaning your gutters should be something you do at least twice a year. With that being said, there are always instances where you should clean your gutters and maintain them more than the recommended time frame. Below we are going to discuss 4 specific times you should routinely check your gutters throughout the year.
When Is the Best Time To Check Your Gutters?
- During a Season Change
- Before a Major Storm
- After Serious weather
- Routine Annual Maintenance
Changing Seasons
The purpose of all home gutters is to capture water and guide it away from the foundation of the home. In order for it to do that, it has to remain free of debris. Debris caused by falling leaves can clog gutters and stop the free flow of water. Not only can it stop the flow of water, but it can also create mold and other build-up. We understand that cleaning your gutters four times a year is not an ideal situation, so we recommend our clients make it a point to at least clean them in early spring and early fall.
Before A Major Storm
Cleaning your gutters before a major storm is very important, especially if you practice cleaning your gutters only twice a year. Living in the south we are used to preparing our homes for hurricanes. A lot of times we can forget about our gutters when trying to pick up belongings around our home. This is an important time to make sure they are cleaned out. You don’t want your gutters full of debris when a hurricane pushes through, the weight of debris and water could cause your gutters to sag and break away from your roof causing major unwanted damages.
After Serious Weather
We can never predict how bad a spring or summer storm can be, but we should be mindful of the debris these storms can leave behind. Some of these summer storms could cause lots of unwanted leaves and limbs, in return causing you unwanted damage to your gutters. It’s important you check your gutters after these storms to ensure water does not get trapped. Trapped water can cause rotting wood issues and leaks inside your home. The biggest mistake a homeowner can make is assuming that their gutters are fine because water is coming out of the downspout. If you are unsure how to clean your gutters, continue reading below.
Annual Maintenance
It’s important to be mindful when cleaning out your home gutters. A Lot of people focus on cleaning out the leaves in their gutters and overlook things such as cracks, sagging, and other issues that can occur with aging gutters. Statistically speaking 80% of roofs are replaced prematurely because of unseen minor damages that go unnoticed. To keep these costs down, our company has created our Roof Protect Maintenance Program, to ensure our clients’ gutters and roofs are maintained annually. If you feel like your roof or gutters need to be inspected, re-sealed, or cleaned. Give us a call today and ask us about our annual maintenance program, Roof Protect.
Steps To Clean Your Gutters
The key thing to remember if you decide to maintain your own roof and gutters is to be thorough on your inspection. Here are some tips to follow when doing your own inspections.
- Cleaning your gutters- Start with larger debris and remove by hand. Do not make the mistake of putting your water hose inside your gutters and turning it on full blast. People have thought this to be the “faster and easier method.” When in fact, this can cause unwanted weight to your gutters, pulling them away from your home. It is important that you do not rush this process.
- Once you have cleared all large debris, you should remove and clean downspout strainers. This is a great time to use your water hose to remove grime and other build-up that may have occurred.
- The next step is to flush your gutters. It is best to use a spray nozzle on your water hose. As water passes through your gutters and goes down the waterspout, pay attention to the amount of water coming through. If it is not the same amount, this could mean you have a clog. To remove clogs you want to feed your house up the downspout and make sure it is on all the way. If you can not get your clog to come out, make sure you call a professional, like Coastal Gutters to come out.
- Once you have thoroughly cleaned and unclogged them, you want to rerun your spray nozzle checking for leaks that may have occurred from falling debris. Once you are done with this it is important to notice anything that appears to be off. Are your gutters being pulled away from your home? Do you see where the sealant is coming off and needs to be replaced? In this case, we highly recommend you call a professional, like Coastal Gutters, to come out and inspect the perimeter of your roof and provide any resealing that needs to be done.
These four quick and easy steps focus on cleaning your gutters and will make sure they remain secure. Keep in mind you should clean the outside of them by pressure washing them thoroughly. For best practices, this should be done when you are cleaning the inside of your gutters. We hope you found our blog about cleaning gutters helpful, and we welcome any questions you may have.
