Life is full of necessary evils.
Cleaning out the gutters or jury duty? And no, going dress and shoe shopping with your teenager daughter and her friends is not an option.
Both are bland, time-consuming chores famous for having a fun factor of zero. Unfortunately, both are critical activities. One for the U.S. justice system, one for the overall health of your home.
Cleaning the gutters is nobody’s idea of a good time on a weekend afternoon. But this essential fall cleaning task ensures one of our home’s hardest working components doesn’t fall asleep on the job.
“Of all the necessary evils that make up a diligent fall maintenance routine, cleaning the gutters may be the most dreaded task of all,” This Old House’s Glenda Taylor emphasizes. “Tedious though it is, homeowners are wise not to neglect this task, since properly functioning gutters help ensure that stormwater does not find its way indoors.”
The Rain Guards
Gutters’ main function is to capture rainwater and guide it away from your home’s foundation. A fully functional rain gutter system ensures the overall completeness and structural integrity of your home or commercial property.
Gutters are all-purpose rain guards. They prevent water from settling around your basement and stop water overflows from your roof from seeping into your foundation and gradually weakening everything that supports your home.
A home without reliable working gutters is a home asking for water damage. Without a functioning gutter system, leaves, garbage, debris and whatever the wind blows your home’s way can accumulate on your roof. This will lead to water stagnation and overflow and a whole truckload of trouble ranging from rot to rust and numerous other damages.
“When a gutter is filled with leaves, it can clog the downspouts, causing water to run over the top of the gutter channel and fall to the ground below. Worse, winter’s freeze-thaw cycles can cause snow on the roof to melt and then freeze in the gutter, creating heavy ice blockages that can tear a gutter away from the roof,” Taylor stresses.
Long story short: When your gutters become fatally clogged, nothing good comes next.
“Water damage consistently ranks among the most common causes of home insurance claims,” This Old House’s Angela Blunt stresses.
The Insurance Information Institute pegs the average home water damage bill at $12,514, which is all the motivation we should need to inspect those gutters twice per year.
The Fine Safe Art of Cleaning Gutters
Let’s start with the worst, more unadvisable way to clean gutters: off-balance on a step-ladder. It’s a prescription for injury and a job poorly done.
If you have to use a ladder, choose a sturdy extension ladder and have a spotter at the base to stabilize it. Choose a leaf blower or power washer to thoroughly clear out your gutter system.
For homes over one story, hire a gutter cleaning company. They have the equipment to reach gutters safely.
Cleaning from the Ground Up
While not as hands on as cleaning gutters from a ladder, cleaning from the ground up can keep you on even ground and be just as effective.
- A Garden Hose with an attachment
- With a wet/dry vacuum
- The old school way: by hand
Gutters don’t ask a lot from us to perform their jobs. Just the occasional TLC. For homeowners who just don’t want to spend any time in their gutters, professionally installed gutter guards like the LeafGuard gutter system can do the work for you.
But you can’t afford not to make sure your gutters aren’t working free and clear.
“An ounce of gutter-clogging prevention saves a lot of time and goes a long way toward keeping gutters clean and free from debris,” Taylor stresses.
