Home improvement is a never-ending project. There are always some home fixes that get left to attend. One such important task is roof gutter cleaning. The majority of us don’t even consider cleaning them in the first place as it needs the effort of climbing up a ladder to clean them.
We keep this task at bay in our mind, and as a result, we also refrain or forget to hire the experts. We all have that common mindset that it will get cleaned up during the rainy season. But this is where we are wrong.
Gutters of any roofing are one of the most important parts of the house. It plays the vital role of diverting the water to planned exit via its network. And clogged up gutters can cause some damage to your home.
Thus, one must understand the importance of roof cleaning and gutter cleaning alike. And ignoring to clean both seasonally can result in some serious consequences. The following is the list of possible threats that can be caused by not cleaning your gutters on time:
1. Damage to the Roof
Uncleaned gutters can cause some serious damages to your home, starting from top to bottom. The choked-up gutters accumulate debris, which does not allow rainwater to have a clear pass, and it begins to collect.
Shingles are the first to receive the damages, especially the ones coming in direct contact with water. If kept uncleaned, then the damaged shingles will keep on absorbing water, and eventually, it will damage the roof deck. And this will lead water to seep right through your roof and enter your home. As time passes, your insulation will give up, and all the water will cause damage to your ceiling. To avoid such events from happening, make sure that your get your roof gutters cleaned twice a year.
2. Affecting the Foundation
The purpose of any gutter system is to divert the water. Through its channels, it keeps the water away from your home. Any clogged-up gutter system can’t perform its primary task properly. Overflowing of gutters becomes a common outcome, and as a result, excess water drips right through it and reaches your home’s foundation. It can cause serious damage to the soil beneath your foundation by making it shift its place and causing cracks to it.
Further, in the place where the temperature falls to sub-zero, the cracks filled with water can damage the foundation the most. This freezing water can make your home shaky and can even result in structural failure. It can also damage the walls and roofs. Thus, making the entire structure weaker.
3. Flooding of Basement
Now, you can connect the dots by yourself. As we discussed in the above point, water can fall anywhere and one of the most common problems is the flooding of the basement. The lack of proper disposal of water results in overflowing gutters and that excess water finds its harbor in your basement.
The water gets a free run and makes its way through basement walls. It can result in the formation of moulds on the walls along with an unpleasant smell spreading throughout your basement. There is a high possibility that your basement might be water treated and, in that case, this accumulated water can cause damage to your home’s foundation. All this can be avoided by simply sticking to a periodic gutter cleaning program.
4. It Can Destroy Your Landscape
We all love our beautiful landscape. It is like a natural ornament to our beautiful property. Moderate rainfall is good for plants. But heavy rainfall along with uncleaned gutter water can cause some serious damages to your landscape.
As we saw in the above point, before affecting the basement and foundation of the home, this excess water causes heavy damage to your landscape. It can simply wash away the topsoil and sand, unroot the plants, and can kill flowers, shrubs, etc. If you are one of those wholove their landscape and like to host outdoor parties over there, then you should be disciplined when it comes to cleaning the gutters.
5. Moulds and Mildew
Uncleaned gutters can also cause havoc in the interiors of your home. The accumulated water can make its way through fissures and can make the inner walls moist. As a result, the walls start developing mold and mildew all over the place.
They thrive in dark and humid conditions, and clogged up gutters help to create just the right environment for them. In some time, it can spread across the walls and can cause serious damage to interiors. You can end spending a lot of time and money on fixing such issues. To safeguard yourself from such embarrassing moments, you should get the gutters cleaned.
6. Pest Infestations
As discussed in the above point, standing water can attract foreign living bodies to breed and prosper around it. Along with moulds, uncleaned gutters can result in pest infestation. It can become a hotspot for all the insects and parasites to breed and live. It can be an ideal habitat for cockroaches, mosquitoes, and flies. All these insects can carry all sorts of disease and endanger you to contact any one of them.
The moist condition can bring in termites which can cause havoc to the entire house and can lead to some serious structural damages. In some rare cases, it can also attract bees and wasps for nesting their colonies over there.
Final Thoughts
Although roof gutter cleaning might not come into your most important tasks as it requires effort. But, completely ignoring the same can cause some serious damages to your property. You can either look to take it as a DIY project or can hire the services of professionals for doing the job. Either way, don’t neglect this task as it creates some serious damages to your property as a whole. Don’t wait for the rainstorm; if you haven’t cleaned it in a while, then do it.
Author – Mike Morleye is a professional writer. He uses his writing skills to share knowledge on different topics in a precise, readable, and appealing format.