Even if you cleaned your gutters last fall, it’s also a good idea to clean them in the spring. Whether your downspouts put the water on the surface of the soil or into the ground, it’s vitally important that the water flows freely through every component of the roof drainage system. The gutters are usually the weak link in the order. It makes sense, then, to ensure that those channels are cleaned before the spring rains come.
Damage from Winter Freezes and Spring Showers
Spring rains can be cumbersome, and spring storms severe. You want to make sure that water can make its way from your roof through the gutters and downspouts and into the areas designated to receive it. Debris from winter winds can land on the roof and make its way into the channels. Things like twigs, pine straw, and autumn leaves can pile up in the gutter and stick to the bottom and sides of it; this stops the rainwater from properly draining into the drainage system.
If rainfall cannot correctly drain from the roof into the gutters and through the downspouts, it will back up and begin to flow into whatever nook and cranny it can find. The most likely scenario is that the rainfall will drain through your roof. Water damage is insidious and can cause massive damage to your roof and walls. It can also cause damage to the rain-gathering system of the gutters and downspouts, rendering them virtually useless.
Winter freeze and thaw cycles can cause ice dams on your roof. These ice dams form when the ice melts, and the resulting water ends up in the clogged gutter. When the weather again gets below freezing, the water in the gutters freezes. When the sun hits the roof, it will melt more accumulated ice and snow. Then the resulting water drains into the trenches, adding to the mass of ice that is growing inside them.
This process continues throughout the winter months. Every time it snows, the snowfall will add more water to your gutters when the snow melts in the above-freezing weather. When the temperature hovers around the freezing point, there will be many fluctuations between frozen water and liquid water. The liquid water will eventually freeze again, causing a considerable build-up of ice in the lower portions of the roof.
In most areas of the country, the highest amount of rainfall occurs during spring. If your gutters are not operating as they should, then neither will the downspouts. The roof and eaves system is designed to work together. If one of the components, like the gutters, is not in working order, the entire system will fail.
Having your gutters inspected and cleaned in spring is an excellent way to keep the system performing as it should. If you have some major issues in doing the cleaning all by yourself, you can ask for a help from the professionals from the companies such as Great Au Pair.
Cleaning Your Gutters
To keep your channels working efficiently, you could install a gutter guard system, such as the kinds MasterShield offers.
Routinely getting your channels cleaned every year does two things. First, it allows the gutters and downspouts to do their job of draining rainwater away from your home. Second, it helps protect your roof from damage done during the winter when the weather turns freezing. When this happens, the ice dams that form on your roof and in your gutter can deteriorate its shingles. It can even shorten the useful life of your roof.
If you have large shade trees that overhang your roof, the chances are that some of their leaves and twigs are going to end up on your roof. Eventually, the debris will end up in your channels. According to householdprof.com, one solution is to install gutter screens, or gutter guards and covers to help keep debris from shade trees from ending up in this vital part of your home’s drainage system.
Large shade trees help keep your home cooler in the summer months. So instead of getting rid of these large, mature trees, have your channels cleaned regularly to make sure that the tree’s droppings are not clogging up the roof’s drainage system.
When spring and its warmer temperatures arrive, if there is excess moisture lingering on the roof of your home, it can attract small wild animals like mice, rats, chipmunks, and squirrels. They can sometimes make their way into the attic area of your home and build nests. Before you know it, you have an infestation.
By removing the materials from the channels that attract these small animals, you remove the thing that attracts them to your home.
Another problem with clogged up channels is the standing water that they contain once temperatures stay above freezing for the season. Mosquitoes breed in standing water, even if it is less than a few inches deep. They will turn your gutters into a breeding ground and turn your yard into an uninhabitable, mosquito-infested nightmare.
Because water is known as such a powerful force, many people believe that it will only wash away any debris that is in their channels. While this is not entirely out of the question, it does not make sense, from a financial standpoint, to allow nature to correct this problem. The best thing you can do to prevent damage to your roof, downspout system, and also the interior of your home is to keep the channels free from debris.
Contact us today to get an inspection of your gutters and downspout system. We will determine if you have anything blocking the flow of water through it. We can also let you know if we find any weak areas of the system that are leaking now or that may develop leaks in the future. An annual inspection will catch any small problems before they become big problems.
The life expectancy of a new roof is 40 to 50 years. It will never last that long if the water is not drained adequately from it through the gutters and downspout system. Having your channels inspected costs much less than a new roof. Contact us today, and we’ll check it out for you.
