For many homeowners, the list of maintenance chores that need to be done around their properties can often seem endless. Some of these tasks, such as cleaning your gutters, can be a lot of work, and as a result are often neglected until there’s an emergency.
However, it’s important to point out that failing to perform regular maintenance on your gutters can result in severe water damage to the rest of your home. Luckily, there are solutions to simplify this work. One of the ways to reduce the need for maintenance is to opt for applications such as a gutter guard Melbourne residents are adding to their gutters.
The Importance of Clean Gutters
Well-maintained gutters should run around the edge of your roof and be in place around the whole house structure. If you don’t think it matters whether or not your home’s gutters are clean, then this post is definitely for you. Here’s what you may not yet know about well-kept gutters.
1. Reduces the Risk of Water Damage
The most crucial reason for keeping your gutters clean is to avoid blockages in the actual gutters as well as the drain spouts. When these two components are blocked by leaves, twigs or dirt, they are unable to drain water away from your roof.
The last thing any homeowner wants is for pooled roof water to start seeping into their home and cause water damage. Water that can’t flow off the roof can overflow into ceilings, seep in through exterior walls and even flow into wall cavities. Since roof repairs can be quite costly, this is something every homeowner wants to avoid at all costs.
2. Keeps Out Garden and Household Pests
Gutters blocked with garden debris and dirt easily create the ideal environment for many garden and household pests. Rodents, insects and nesting birds are only a few pests that could take up residence in your gutters. Once these insects move in on the roof, it’s only a matter of time before they start moving indoors through cracks or gaps in walls.
3. Minimises the Danger of Mould
Anyone who has ever dealt with mould will agree that it can be quite challenging to get rid of. Furthermore, the presence of mould spores in your home can lead to continuous flu-like symptoms and it can aggravate other respiratory ailments.
Moisture trapped in blocked gutters eventually becomes the perfect microbial breeding ground for mould spores. Since mould spreads, it’s only a matter of time before these spores move from the roof down to the interior walls of your home.
4. Eliminates Potential Foundation Issues
Damage from pooled roof water doesn’t just cause damage to the interior of your home but also to the exterior. This happens when blocked gutters cause water to overflow on the exterior walls and pool around the foundations.
Over time, this constant water exposure will lead to cracks in the house’s foundation. During winter this problem can get worse when frozen water expands and in turn, creates larger foundational cracks. As with roof repairs, repairing a cracked foundation can be very costly. In some cases, it may even be irreparable, so taking action on your gutters today is saving yourself a lot of problems in future.
How Often Should Australian Gutters be Cleaned?
Many people will tell you that the number of times you clean your gutters every year depends on where you live, the type of roof you have and how much rainfall your area experiences. However, our experts recommend cleaning your gutters at least twice a year, irrespective of all these factors. Ideally, clean your gutters in the early summer and then again as soon as autumn finishes.
Furthermore, if you live in an area that experiences high rainfall, or you have trees close to your roof, it may be a good idea to check your gutters more frequently.
Consider Gutter Guards
If you live near trees big enough to constantly drop leaves into your gutters, it may be time to invest in gutter guards. Not only will these guards keep your roof cleaner for longer, but they also make the cleaning process considerably easier.
Essentially, a gutter guard is a protection system that fits over your gutter to keep debris out. Simply put, they’re like longer drain guards! Debris lies on top of the guard rather than building up inside the gutters.
Since gutter guards are available in a wide range of styles and sizes, it’s relatively easy to find the perfect guard for your particular gutter type. The more popular options to consider include the following:
- External mesh gutter guards
- Steel mesh gutter guards
- Box guards
- Brush guards
- Internal plastic gutter guards
Final Thoughts
Keeping your gutters clean is an essential part of home maintenance and also the best way to minimise potential water damage. In addition to checking your gutters at least twice a year, it’s a good idea to invest in gutter guards. Innovative items like these will streamline the cleaning process and help you feel a little more positive about home maintenance.