Keeping your home in order means that you have to take care of the little things, and the big ones. There are some things that need to be done daily, like washing the dishes, to make things look good and nice, while others need to be done no more than a few times per week, like watering the flowers and the garden. All of these things may look like they are going to take a lot of time, but in reality, by maintaining your property, you are going to make it a better place to live, you are going to increase its value, and you are going to be happier every time you look at your house. There are a lot of things that can cause damage if you don’t maintain them properly, and because of it, you need to know what you need to do and when. For example, the gutters are keeping all the water, debris, and leaves away from the inside of your house, but they also need to be unclogged and cleaned once in a while. To make disposal easier a dumpster rental can be helpful, click here for the simple and convenient residential dumpster rental services.
In this article, we are going to talk about gutters and downspouts, and we will try and give you more information about why you need to unclog them, what you should do to make sure they don’t get clogged, and how often you need to check for leaves in the gutters. We will give you some ideas on how to do the whole cleaning process, and how you can increase the value of your home with that.
Why do you need to clean the gutters?
Before we answer your question, let’s first see why cleaning the downspout is extremely important. When installing these units around the roof of our home, we usually think that the leaves and every natural material will with time decompose, or the wind will blow it away. When it is sunny outside, and during the spring and summer, that is partially true. The leaves don’t fall that often, and when they do, chances are, they won’t get stuck in the gutter.
On the other hand, in the fall, and during winter, the leaves, dirt, and dust don’t get easily blown away. They mix with water, and they will stick inside the downspout. Even though some of them will dry off and they will easily fall down, the rest will not. When you combine wet leaves with small branches, it is really easy for the drain to get clogged.
If the drain clogs, there are a lot of things that can go wrong. The first thing is that the gutter will get damaged, and it will start to leak. Small damages and holes are easy to fix, and you don’t need to replace the whole system, but when we are talking about bigger holes, you won’t be able to just fix them. You will need to spend a lot of money on this, and you risk having to replace the whole system.
In addition to this, if you don’t notice the leaks, first the wet leaves will start slowly damaging the roof. You may notice wet spots on the inside of your home, and mold may even appear. It is said that during the rainy season, the water can damage the foundations, cause floods and it will damage everything that’s made of wood in the home. You also risk pests and insects. So, it is better to stay safe and regularly maintain this system, than to risk spending thousands of dollars on damage control. If you are still unsure why you should clean the downspout, you can visit here and find out more about why structural damage will appear if you let the leaves rot inside the gutter.
How often do you need to check for leaves?
Now let’s talk about how often you should do the cleaning and maintenance. There is no exact answer to this question, and it all depends on the season and your back yard.
Do you have a lot of trees around the house? How close are they to the house, the roof, and the downspout? Depending on your answers to this, you will have a better idea about how often do leaves fall on your roof.
It also depends on the season. For example, in the spring, you don’t have to check the downspout that often, but in the autumn, it is better to check them at least once per week.
Experts suggest that if you want to postpone this, and if you don’t want to climb up the ladder twice per month, then you need to check and clean them at least two times per year. You should always check them before the rainy season, and it is also recommended to check them before winter. If there are leaves stuck in the drain, then water will get stuck as well. When the temperature drops, the water will freeze and it will damage the units.
You should also check and maintain them in the early spring so that you make sure there is nothing left behind from the winter.
You should check to see if anything is stuck after every big storm, especially if you live in an area that has high winds. Make sure there are no branches stuck, and that there aren’t any other types of debris. Even though you are mainly checking for the leaves, you should know that you will be surprised by the things you can find in the drain. Check and maintain them at least once every few months. This process will not take a lot of time, and you will protect your home and your family.
When it is time to clean these units, there are a lot of options to choose from. You can clean them with a leaf blower, a vacuum cleaner, or even with your garden hose. If you notice that the units are clogged, then you need to either remove them and clean everything, or you can just easily call a professional service, and get things done without risking your safety. Always be careful when going up on the roof, and have someone next to you so they can help you out with the process.
