Building your dream home comes with a sense of exhilaration. You can't wait to bring the family over or invest in the property to sell in the future.
Still, there are several aspects that might momentarily affect your dream. Property damage can happen, with water damage to your foundation, roof, and exterior walls being one of the most pressing concerns. To this end, gutters. Getting gutters, however, also calls for various protective measures to keep them working as they should.
Maintenance for most people means the installation of protective systems for leaf gutters. These systems, also called leaf guards, keep leaves out of your gutters since these will inevitably clog them when left to accumulate. Though leaves and twigs are the principal elements that clog gutters, they are not the only ones. The following are the other issues that might result in clogged gutters:
Poorly Installed Downspouts
Gutters are designed to catch water and direct it to downspouts to keep it away from your property's foundation. Inadequately sized and designed downspouts can be blocked by the elements that fall on the gutters from the environment. Downspouts should ideally be 3×4 inches since the conventional 2×3 inches will only let a handful of debris flow through them. There should also be a downspout installed for every 30-40 feet of your gutters or a 400-square foot of the roof for adequate water drainage.
Decaying Roofs
Your roof can be a culprit behind a clogged gutter. Roofing materials start breaking down due to time and the debris from the same washes down to your gutters. This type of heavy debris cannot be washed down with rainwater and other forms of running water, thus clogging the gutters.
Snow
Heavy snow causes the formation of ice on your roof. This ice will start melting from the bottom when the weather starts warming up. The melted snow will then trickle to your gutters and cause the movement of the ice on the roof. Apart from the icicles hanging dangerously low from your roof’s edges (which can cause roofing damage), the ice flows into your gutters. Since it is far heavier than the water your gutters are designed to hold, its weight will cause the slow detachment of your gutters from the roof’s fascia. The ice mound deposited in your gutters also blocks the flow of water and melted snow to the downspouts.
Growing Plants
Birds and insects will carry pollen and deposit it into your gutters. The combination of water and bountiful airflow makes a perfect environment for the growing of plants. Organisms will thrive in your gutters, which will cause a blockage.
Few people think of gutter maintenance when investing in water damage protection for their properties. The above elements nonetheless call for the highest levels of gutter maintenance to guard against. Remove items that will cause clogs in your gutters.
DIY cleanups might sound like a more affordable idea, but if you wish to save your gutters, seek professional help. Professional gutter maintenance guarantees the integrity of your gutters and their durability.
