Your gutters are one of the most important features of your home, but all too often they go unattended to. They perform a number of functions and protect your home from various forms of damage. In order to ensure that your home remains in the best possible state it is critical that you make cleaning and caring for your gutters a priority. Here you will learn about the various ways that they protect your home and the steps that you should take to ensure that they continue doing so.
One of the main ways that they protect your home is by diverting water away. When it rains they send the water at least a few feet from your home so that it does not seep into the ground surrounding your foundation. This greatly extends the life of your foundation, which is extremely expensive to repair.
You want to be sure that your gutters are always in the best working order and even check them when it is raining to verify that they are sending water far enough away from the home so that it is not flowing back towards it. A monthly check of your roof system is ideal, but more frequently can help to ensure that you do not miss something that leads to unnecessary damage.
Another feature of a properly performing system is to ensure that water is not pooling up around the edges of your roof. When water is allowed to pool up in the manner it can lead to the degradation of the roof and eventually leaks. This type of water damage can be hard to identify as it will flow in-between the walls of your home.
Unfortunately, by the time it is noticeable inside or outside your home, it has likely caused extensive damage that is very costly to repair. In addition to the water damage, it will also, in almost every case, lead to the growth of mold, mildew and other organic material. This can be a hazard to the health of those that live in the home and you will not know that it is there until you have been living with it for quite some time.
In order to guarantee that you do not have an issue with water pooling near the edge of your roof you must be sure that the gutters are clear from debris. The frequency in which you need to check this will depend on where you live and the season. For example, more debris usually builds during the fall and rainy seasons. You want to check at least once a month for any clogs or build up, but should do so even more frequently when there is a higher amount of debris that can build up.
You should also check to see that the water does not drip between the gutters and the home when it rains. This can lead to water damage to the home or foundation as well. A quick tour around the home when there is substantial rainfall can help you to see the state of your system. Of course, trekking out in the rain isn’t the most enjoyable activity, but doing so can save you a great deal of money in the long run.
If these tasks seem mundane or too laborious it is definitely worth hiring a professional roofing company to handle it for you. They will examine your home and create a plan depending on various factors. Be sure to investigate their reputation so that you know the money that you are investing in the service will save you money on home repairs in the long run.