Fall is Gutter Cleaning Season – Time to prepare them for Winter.

Fall is Gutter Cleaning Season – Time to prepare them for Winter.

Gutters serve a vital purpose for your home. They keep water away. And we all know the type of damage and expense unwelcome water cause when it’s allowed to seep into your basement. As long as your gutters are in good shape, they’ll continue to their job and help protect your home from any damage.

While that may sound simple enough, many people neglect their gutters until it’s too late. And, in the alter all and early winter it is too late. Basically, during the fall, your gutters are at their most vulnerable.

Here are 3 main reasons why it’s critical that you clean your gutters this fall.   

Leaves

Granted, fall is beautiful. Everyone loves the stunning array of colors emanating from the trees as the leaves turn and then gently scurry to the ground. While raking leaves is a chore, there’s something pleasant about the leaves that helps make the chore doable.

However, those lovely eaves that have fallen from the trees onto your yard don’t’ always land on your lawn. They collect can our roof and, in your gutters, too. IN places where they can’t’ be seen or reached easily, leaves cause problems when they accumulate. And your gutters are one of the most popular gathering spots for them.

Look at your trees in late fall – if they’re bare chances are some of their leaves are in your gutters, on your roof, or blocking your downspouts. This can likely lead to gutter damage as well as cause problems to the structure of your home.

Wet Leaves and Debris

Water adds weight to everything. This is especially true when it comes to leaves. So, not only are leaves one of your gutter’s enemies. Wet leaves are even more of a threat. Their weight crates added pressure – something they’re not made to withstand when in excess. They need to remain fluid, free of debris so that water flows unobstructed from your roof through them. If full of heavy wet leaves, your gutters will inevitably become unattached from the side of your house or from your roof. When you add ice and snow to this moisture, gutter destruction is just a matter of time if ignored for too long.

Expiring Lifespan

Gutters should last a good amount of time – this depends of course on what material they are. Most are aluminum but even that material isn’t damage or age-proof. Over time if gutters are allowed to collect a mixture of decayed leaves, snow and rain, and other environmental debris, the gutters decay just like the leaves.

In all cases, you can get the best performance over the longest period of time by paying attention to season change and have your gutters cleaned thoroughly and properly.