What Happens If You Don’t Ever Clean Your Gutters?
There are so many home maintenance items that are the epitome of “out of sight, out of mind”. These are things that are easy to forget about and that probably need to be remembered, but the consequences of forgetting about them can seem nebulous. Changing your HVAC filters. . . cleaning out your dryer vent. . . emptying the gunk trap in your dishwasher. . . Who can remember to do those things? And what does it really matter if they happen tomorrow, or next year? Unfortunately these things are all important to do regularly for different reasons.
At Beautiful Day, one of these hidden tasks that we deal with the most if plugged up gutters. Lots of people let their gutters fill up with leaves, moss, dirt, and debris until they are fully stopped up for literally years. Lots of people don’t even realize that their gutters are clogged up, or know how often they might need to be checked on. No fear, though, and no shame! We’ve got your back with everything you need to know about why it matters to clean your gutters and how to know when they need some attention.
What Happens If You Never Clean Your Gutters?
Gutter systems are designed to direct rain water off of your roof and away from your house to strategic points where the water can either drain off of your property, or feed into planted areas that will absorb it. If you let debris build up inside your gutters, then the flow of water gets blocked and the gutters can’t guide the water anywhere. The troughs can fill with stagnant water, which can be a breeding ground for bacteria, bugs, and other nasties. Often this also leads to the gutter troughs overflowing so that the water drips straight down onto the ground at the base of the exterior walls. It looks like this:
In most cases, the place where that water is now dripping doesn’t have proper drainage to prevent water from pooling around your foundation. What happens when water pools around your foundation? The water puts pressure on the walls underground, causing cracks, leaks, and bowing. The soil can become eroded, causing the foundation to settle. Mold can grow. Windows and doors in the surrounding areas can start sticking or jamming as their frames warp with the walls. All bad things that can cost a lot of money to fix.
So, How Can You Tell If Your Gutters Need Cleaning?
You can climb up on a ladder to look inside, but there are several easier ways to tell:
Do they overflow when it rains? This indicates that the downspouts are clogged up, or that large areas of the troughs are damned up with debris.
Do they have streaky black stains on the outsides of the troughs? This is caused by water runoff and indicates that they may be overflowing without you noticing. Hint: you can see these stains on the gutters in the above video.
Does water come out of the base of your downspouts when it rains? Good water flow out of the downspouts indicates that the system is working as intended.
How long has it been since your gutters were cleaned? Most systems should be cleaned out once or twice a year.
How much debris can you see on your roof? If your roof has piles of pine needles, leaves, or sticks on it then your gutters probably look similar.
Keep in mind that gutters can work great in some parts of a house, and be totally blocked in others. This is because you may have more trees in some areas, or get more wind on one side or the other. So check your gutters for signs of clogs across the full perimeter of your roof.
What Does Gutter Cleaning Involve?
Skilled technicians can safely access your gutter troughs and spouts. Any built-up debris is removed with special scoops and buckets. (The scoops are literally called “Gutter Getters” and the person who named them deserves a gold star.) The troughs and spouts are then flushed to make sure that the water flows easily and that there aren’t any remaining clogs. You can even ask to have your gutters washed, as well. Gutter washing takes care of the staining on the outsides of the troughs so that the whole system looks like new again.
Okay, Let’s Clean My Gutters
You can get a free instant quote to have your gutters cleaned by Beautiful Day on our website right here! Or you can give us a call at (253) 414-5304. We service the greater Tacoma area, including all of Pierce County, Federal Way, and Lacey :)
