There are many reasons why you need gutters on your home as a homeowner. Gutters strongly safeguard your home by preventing water runoff from getting into the foundation of your house. Using gutters as a protective barrier can help prevent water damage down the road.
As a homeowner, cleaning your gutter frequently is an essential step towards a safe and long-lasting home. In reality, judging by the time frame cycle, you should clean your gutters twice a year, but it depends. There are a lot of factors at play, which is why the time might vary from home to home.
First, it is necessary to examine those factors to answer the big question: how often you should clean your gutters to prevent expensive water damage. We can’t solve this issue without taking other factors into account, and hence here’s a rundown of those factors.
Seasonality: A Closer Look At The Seasonal Threats
Gutter maintenance becomes easy to overlook as many homeowners are unaware that gutters can be clogged quite quickly. It is quite difficult to keep the gutters fully protected as they are exposed to a variety of elements as the season changes. Hence, listed below are some of the common gutter threats due to seasonal changes:
End of Winter Gutter Cleaning (Feb – April)
The end of the winter season can leave behind a huge amount of debris, such as leaf litter and branches. If you live near trees and shrubs, a lot of pine needles may blow into your gutter.
If you reside in a snowy area, your gutters may become clogged once the snow melts. That’s why cleaning your gutters at the end of winter is essential to remove this unwanted debris.
Fall Gutter Cleaning (October – November)
Fall is the time of the year when leaves start to appear in beautiful colors after shedding. But it is also the most crucial time frame for gutter cleaning. The rate at which the trees are shedding might not seem much, but don’t let it fool you as it accumulates a huge amount of debris.
Hence, you should clean your gutters at least three times during Fall. Maintaining the cleanliness of your gutter during fall is bound to lengthen the lifespan of the gutter, leading to a much stronger home foundation.
Summer Gutter Cleaning (August – September)
Due to moisture loss of soil, dry leaves may blow into your gutters during the summer. Even fire might ignite in your gutter because of the dry leaves that have built up over time. And cleaning them is a challenging job.
The summer thunderstorms also have a massive impact on gutters. Overflowing of water during these storms is a usual scene contributing to the rusting of metal gutters. Therefore, it is an absolute necessity to clean your gutters at least once during summertime.
How Does Location Affect Gutters?
Each location has its fair share of challenges. Homes in hilly areas might experience less buildup of debris. In contrast, homes on sea beaches might face more cleaning problems due to sand or tides. Hence, how often you may need to assign a clean schedule is heavily dependent on your location.
If you live in a humid area where you experience less rainfall, then cleaning the gutters two times a year will do the job. But if your house is in a location that is more prone to natural events, cleaning the gutter frequently might be common for you. So it is necessary to manage your cleaning schedule according to your surrounding environment.
When To Clean Gutters More Frequently?
In terms of gutter cleaning, there are a few warning signs to look out for. You might need to clean your gutters more often, depending on the condition of your gutter. If your gutter is not working properly and shows signs of leakage or drainage issues, then you will need to clean your gutters more frequently.
Apart from drainage issues, some other situations may also arise where you need to emphasize your cleaning schedule more. If you don’t check up on your gutter often, this problem might turn into something more serious. Hence, to avoid this damage, some warning signs are listed below!
Age
If your gutters are older than 15-20 years, they might be more prone to damage. Usually, gutters function efficiently for 5-10 years, and if it hits 15-20 years, they might need replacing.
So, you must perform routine checks if the gutter is aged as they need more vigorous and frequent cleaning.
Pooling
If you have a pool of water around your yard or driveway, there’s a high chance that your gutter has drainage issues going on. It might also mean that your drainpipe is not connected properly.
If there is water where it shouldn’t be, it is a major warning sign of clogged gutter. This means your gutter requires more cleaning.
Dripping Gutters
If the gutter drips and the water is not flowing smoothly, it is a key indicator of a clogged pipe. It can put the foundation of your home at risk.
Hence, to overcome situations like this, you need to put more effort into cleaning to get rid of the debris blocking it. You also need to check up on your gutters more regularly than before.
Bugs, Insects, and Pests
If you see signs of bugs in your neighborhood, there’s a high chance that they’re nesting in your gutters. It can also lead to a pest infestation if not treated immediately. Thus, in situations like this, it is an utmost emergency to clean your gutters.
Moreover, it’s a sign that you don’t take care of your gutters well. Hence, it would be best if you put more effort into the maintenance of your gutter. Checking and cleaning them routinely while looking out for further signs of pests is crucial in preventing gutter damage.
What Can Happen If You Don’t Clean Your Gutters Often?
If gutters are not cleaned properly, it can cause some severe problems in the long run. Debris may build up in the unclean gutter preventing the drainage of rainwater. As water overflows from the gutters, it will fall along the foundation of your building. This may have a devastating effect on your home as it can cause water damage on both the exterior and interior of your home.
An unclean clogged gutter allows water to enter the property more easily. Hence, it causes water leaks on the inside of your home along with other severe problems that are listed below.
Foundation Cracks
An unclean gutter can soften the soil underneath due to overflowing water. This results in foundation cracks and, in extreme cases, might cause structural failure in a building.
Leaking Roofs & Basements
Clogged gutters often develop leakage issues and can cause water to enter the property quickly. Therefore, this causes major harm to woodwork, windows, walls, and ceilings.
The accumulated water can also cause significant damage to your roof as the shingles soak it, and having to replace your roof can be a major undertaking.
Driveway & Yard Damage
If your gutters are not draining correctly, this can lead to water pooling and killing delicate plants. On the other hand, too much water can cause moulds to grow.
This unwanted growth of moulds in your driveway can lead to severe injuries due to falls putting kids and older adults at risk.
It is quite natural to procrastinate or forget about cleaning your gutter. But gutters play a crucial role in preserving the strength of the roof as well as the foundation of your house. Hence, ensuring a clean gutter is an important aspect of your home maintenance.By following these simple steps, you might achieve a fruitful answer to your concern on how often you need to clean your gutters to prevent water damage. The efforts are worthy of your time in the long run, and a clean gutter would prevent contamination, enhancing your home’s safety as well as health.
