We don’t often think about them unless they aren’t working properly, but gutters are one of the most important structures for your home. They play a vital role in keeping water away from your home and garage, and when they’re working properly, they can save you thousands of dollars in costly repairs. Unfortunately, we often neglect them. But don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s hard to see when gutters are getting full of debris – very much an out-of-sight-out-of-mind situation. However, when gutters get clogged, they really get clogged. That circumstance can lead to leaky roofs, water damage, and worse. Now’s the time to clean them out so they can handle all the extra rain in fall and snow in winter.
Why Gutters Should Be Cleared In Fall
1. Gutters Protect Your Garden
You may realize it, but if you have garden beds near the perimeter of your home, they are not only protecting your roof but also any plants. Potting soil, and other soil options, are meant to be loose and airy, so your plants have room to breathe and expand their roots. Unfortunately, this type of soil is easily eroded by overflowing water from gutters. But if gutters are clogged, all that excess water could wash away the earth and take your plants with it. You could wind up watching your garden go down the drain – literally.
2. Gutters Protect Your Home And Garage
While destroyed garden landscaping is disappointing, it’s nothing compared to seeing your home or garage damaged. Excess water can easily back up and seep into your home through cracks and crevices in the siding and shingles. The process is slow going, but by the time you finally notice the wets marks on the ceiling or walls of your home, the damage has already been done. In the winter, ice dams can become too heavy for gutters to hold and may pull away from your home. This can expose your trim and wood to water damage. And when all that ice and snow melts in spring, the clogged gutters won’t be able to direct it away from your home or garage as they were meant to.
3. Clogged Gutters = Cracked Foundations
What does a clogged gutter have to do with the foundation of your home? Quite a lot, actually. When your gutters are clogged, it causes water to spill over the sides. And where does all that water go? Most of it will sit around your foundation, where it can lead to cracks. It goes without saying that a cracked foundation can threaten your home’s structural integrity. It can also lead to uneven floors and cracks in your walls. Worst of all, cracks in the foundation can cause basement flooding, which in turn can lead to black mold. If you didn’t know, black mold could cause severe health problems, including:
- Skin rashes
- Sore throats
- Headaches
- Infant pulmonary hemorrhage
There’s really no level of “safe” exposure to black mold. And because it’s a microscopic issue, it can be tricky to find and treat. If you have a finished basement with drywall, it could even grow within the drywall without you knowing. And all because of the excess moisture caused by clogged gutters. And if the health problems weren’t enough to make you think twice, the price tag for home repair should. The average cost to repair a cracked foundation is at a minimum of $2,000. It could easily be over $10,000, depending on the damage.
4. Gutters Protect Your Roof
Specifically the fascia. The fascia board is the longboard that runs along the lower edge of the roof. Its purpose? To support all the weight of the gutters. However, when clogged gutters get too heavy from water or ice, it can cause the gutter to break away from the fascia. This can damage your fascia board and even expose vents that lead to your attic, making it very easy for rodents and insects to invade your home. If you haven’t noticed the pattern yet, clogged gutters are truly a domino effect waiting to happen. By procrastinating on cleaning them, you’re really rolling the dice with a major home repair and multiple issues.
5. Gutters Keep The Pest At Bay
When gutters are full of dead organic matter – like leaves and twigs – they becoming highly attractive to rodents, insects, and microscopic pests. As we mentioned above, the weight of the gutter pulling away from the home can open up cracks for things to find their way in. However, the gutters themselves can also be a home for pests – especially the most hated pest of all: mosquitoes. Female mosquitoes need any source of still standing water to lay their eggs, no matter how small. If you’ve had an awful time with mosquitoes this year, you may want to take a look at your gutters. It could very well be that they’ve become a safe haven for these biting terrors.
Benefits of Hiring Professional Gutter Cleaners
There are many reasons that homeowners trust Picasso Lawn & Landscape with the care of the gutters.
- Fear of heights. Many people are terrified at the thought of getting up on a ladder. We’re not here to judge – we’re here to help!
- Gutters too high. If your home has multiple stories, it could be the case that reaching the gutters requires an unusually tall ladder.
- Time and energy. After working all day, the last thing one wants to do is get up on a ladder and scrape out junk from the gutters.
- Age or physical disability. Seniors and those with disabilities may not be physically capable of climbing a ladder.
At Picasso, our lawn care service technicians have the equipment and training to get the job done correctly and safely. And if your clogged gutters caused damage to your lawn or landscaping beds, we can help you chart a course for restoring your yard through our lawn service offerings.
Get Professional Gutter Cleaning Near Indianapolis
Don’t run the risk of future problems down the road. Be proactive with the care of your gutters and call the experts at Picasso Lawn & Landscape. We offer gutter cleaning as part of our selection of fall lawn care. This includes fall lawn care services and tree prep to get your entire yard ready for the upcoming winter. If you’d like to learn more or schedule an appointment, give us a call at 317-253-5296, or you can leave us a message through our online form.
Be sure to check out previous blogs for more helpful articles on lawn care and pest control topics.