With the fall season rapidly approaching, I thought it was essential to talk about the importance of a gutter system and what it takes to keep them up to par. Many new home owners may ask themselves “What is the purpose of a gutter system?” The purpose of a gutter system is to help control the flow of rainwater from your roof to the ground.  A home gutter system could be very important to the long-term protection and maintenance of your property. Without gutters, rainwater runs off the edges of the roof, down the walls.

Homes built or renovated these days are good at trapping air inside. This is good, because it means the building is energy efficient. The downside is that water may seep into the foundation or basement, creating condensation inside your home. Heating will help much of this evaporate, but moisture can remain. Some condensation will collect at windows and become merely annoying, but in attics and walls it can cause fungal wood-rot, resulting in costly repairs.

If you already have gutters on your home, it’s important to keep them cleaned.  Listed below are some reasons why:

Damage to Your Home Exterior

Without gutters, water from rain and snow would just pour off your roof and fall at the base of your home’s foundation potentially causing erosion or leaks. This can still happen if leaves and other debris aren’t cleaned out on a regular basis because water can fall over the sides of the roof or even get backed up and cause damage to your roof shingles leading to leaks that could seep through to your home’s interior.

Reveal Potential Clogs

Usually it’s apparent when there’s a clog in your rain gutter because you’ll see a giant puddle near the base of your home but it’s still important to have them checked regularly to catch any early signs of clogging. The faster you can catch a clog, the better because not taking care of the problem could result in damage to your basement if that water starts to leak into your home foundation. That moldy smell is hard to get rid of once it’s there so it’s smart to take preventative action now.

Check for Repairs

Having your gutters cleaned is also necessary to making sure that all needed repairs are taken care of before unnecessary (and costly) damage is caused to your home. During winter, a lot of weight from snow and ice can really hurt your gutters so making sure it’s in tip-top shape now is critical. A bent gutter can eventually break, dumping water onto your foundation leading to all kinds of water damage problems.

Keep Pests Away

If you have excess water sitting in your rain gutter due to clogs, you also risk attracting pests such as termites and mosquitoes. These bugs thrive in water and a neglected rain gutter can double as the perfect home for these pests. You may also be inviting other pests such as mice and birds to camp out in your attic if you have excess moisture and if you’ve ever dealt with animals trapped in your attic before, you know it’s not fun getting rid of them.

Now that you know the importance of a gutter system and the need to maintain your gutters clean, we recommend Klean Gutter!  You may be asking yourself why Klean Gutter.  Klean Gutter takes gutter to a whole new level, outperforming many well-known, dealer-installed systems.  It’s affordable, highly effective and fills a need for homeowners that just want gutter covers to keep them from cleaning their gutters every season.  GONZALEZ CONSTRUCTION can install gutters for you! For a free estimate call us at 203-639-0032.