Homeowners often forget how important gutters really are. Gutters are designed to collect rainwater from the roof and carry it away from the foundation of the home through downspouts. Since both the gutters and downspouts need to be clear in order to carry out this task, having clogged gutters could cause an overflow of water.
If the water has nowhere to go, it will naturally fill up the gutter and eventually overflow onto the foundation of the home – and it won’t stop there! Excessive ground moisture can cause your foundation to shift and settle continuously. At the very least this could be the cause of stress fractures in your drywall. In the worst-case scenarios, concrete slabs crack and basement walls leak.
Clogged gutters can also pose a weight strain on your roof and the fascia (the boards behind the gutters). If the gutters are too full, they could possibly collapse, causing damage to the shingles of the roof and the exterior of the house.
To summarize: A routine cleaning of your gutters can prevent damage to your roof, exterior and foundation, saving you thousands in possible repair costs.
We recommend that you have your gutters cleaned at least two times a year: once in the spring and another time in the fall. However, depending on the number of trees near your home, you may have to have them cleaned more frequently.
This is especially true if you live in a climate like ours, where it freezes in the winter and there is an extended rainy spring. If your gutters are unable to properly drain water from your roof, the buildup of water may back up under the shingles and cause damage when the temperatures drop to freezing conditions.