Cleaning the gutters on a house is a dreaded outdoor chore for many homeowners, however, it needs to be completed to help the gutters function properly. The most important time to clean the gutters on your home is fall. Below, you will find three reasons why you should always clean gutters during the fall.
1. Clean Gutters During the Fall for More Efficient Gutters
Your gutters are only effective at diverting water from your home if they’re free from debris. This is why it’s important to clean gutters during the fall. If your gutters are clogged when precipitation occurs, it will cause pooling on your roof. The water flooding your gutters will seep down your siding instead of being funneled through the downspout.
If you wait too long to clean your gutters, it can be a tricky business. It’s dangerous to try to use ladders in ice and snow. It’s even more dangerous to work near or on a roof in such conditions. It’s best to clean gutters during the fall while the weather is still mild and there’s no ice and snow to make conditions hazardous.
2. Avoid Gutter Ice Dams
During the summer and fall months, tree debris and other items that land on your roof usually find their way down into your gutters. This debris can get stuck together and form a tangled bundle that can clog your gutters. If this bundle isn’t removed during the fall, it will stay there during the winter. Once the snow and ice of winter arrive, these bundles of debris will become an ice dam. Snow and ice will compound around the debris, freezing it solidly to the walls of the gutter.
These frozen bundles will prevent anything from draining properly into the downspout. When your gutters become full of ice and snow, the added weight can cause them to pull away and detach from the edge of the roof. Not only will this damage the exterior of your home and your roof, but a falling gutter filled with solid ice could damage whatever is underneath. For these reasons, it is important to clean gutters during the fall instead of ignoring it until next summer.
3. Prevent Bacteria Accumulation
Leaves and sticks aren’t the only things that end up in your gutters. There may also be bird and squirrel droppings, dead animals, animal urine, and other unpleasant substances containing bacteria. These bacteria accumulate in your gutters creating a valley of germs that will travel with any precipitation down the downspout. This spreads bacteria out of your downspout and into your yard at a high concentration. Clean gutters during the fall to prevent the accumulation of germs and bacteria.
American Home Inspections Tennessee serves Middle Tennessee with home inspection services. Contact us to make an appointment.