Death, taxes, and cleaning your gutters. It’s a fact of life when it comes to owning a home: you have to keep your gutters clean. Having clean gutters not only improves the look of your home, but debris-ridden gutters can tear away from your house, overflow, or cause damage to your foundation and sidewalks.
How Often Should Your Gutters Be Cleaned?
Generally speaking most experts recommend cleaning your gutters at least twice a year, but depending on how many trees you have it may be necessary for more. Routine gutter maintenance is integral in keeping your home’s roof, exterior and foundation free of water, debris and other unwanted materials.
Ignoring your gutters for too long can end up costing you thousands repairing water damage to your home, or your roof if the gutter collapses from the weight. Think of it as a necessary investment in your property.
What Can Happen if You Don’t Clean Your Gutters?
Unclean gutters can lead to many complex and costly problems. Gutters are intended to collect rainwater and carry it away from the foundation. If the gutters are full, rainwater begins to seep into the foundation causing damage that may cost you upwards of $10,000. Here are just a few of the problems that typically arise from unclean gutters:
Mold
Failing to clean your gutters will lead to standing water that overflows and allows mold to grow. Mold can cause serious health problems if it gets inside your house and can be very tricky (and costly) to properly clean. The best thing you can do to prevent mold is to stop it before it starts.
Pests and Animals
Too much water or an excess amount of debris in your gutter creates the ideal environment for mosquitoes, mice, squirrels, and other animals. If you discover birds or other wildlife in your gutters, please call your local animal control center for advice.
Leaking Roof
One of the most expensive undertakings for any homeowner is replacing your roof. If you put off cleaning your gutters, water that doesn’t drain to the ground will accumulate on the roof, making its way through shingles and causing significant damage.
Flooded Basement
If your gutter’s downspouts are clogged or don’t drain far enough away from the house, water can seep into your basement. Water damage to a basement not only damages the property down there, but can effect the foundation, your furnace, circuit breakers, and other utilities that are commonly found in basements.
Yard Damage
When maintaining a yard, too much water is just as bad as no water at all. If your gutters aren’t properly draining, the excess water can pool up, sometimes underground, killing delicate plant life.
How Much Does a Cleaning Cost?
The national average gutter cleaning cost is $151, ranging from $70 – $337, depending on size and number of stories. There are many other factors that can affect the price of a gutter cleaning, including: the current gutter conditions, possible repairs, or extra maintenance that may be necessary.
Do You Need to Replace Your Gutters?
Possibly. There are many different types of gutters, but generally speaking you should get at least 20 years out of them.
While more expensive than standard metal gutters, Seamless gutters are the least likely to leak, while gutter guards can help prevent leaves and other debris from making its way into your gutters in the first place.
The best way to know if your gutters need to be replaced is to get an inspection from a roofer or gutter expert you trust. If you are in the Central Ohio area, contact us now for a free gutter inspection.
Need Help With Your Gutters?
We know spending an afternoon cleaning gunk out of your gutters isn’t an activity most homeowners look forward to, which is why we offer reliable and affordable gutter cleaning services so you can rest easy knowing your gutters are clean and your house is safe.
We offer free inspections, seamless gutters, guards, cleaning, repairs, and installations. Don’t wait too long, or it will be too late.