While gutters are relatively simple and cheap part of the roof system, they play a crucial role in protecting your home from rainwater damage. As their purpose is to drain water far away from the house through the downspouts, they can’t be clogged anytime. Without regular maintenance, such a problem will happen sooner or later, that’s why we put together this comprehensive homeowner’s guide. If you experience problems with gutter maintenance, this post is exactly what you need.
How Do The Gutters Work?
In the simplest words, gutters are horizontally located pipes attached to roof eaves in order to transfer the rainwater from facets to downspouts. If properly installed, gutters should run the full length of the roof eaves.
As a Northbrook exterior contractor, we usually ensure that gutters are installed with the slope not less than 1/4 inch per each 10′ of the gutter’s length to ensure that the drainage is proper. While IBC requires only 1/8 per 10′, in our opinion it’s usually not enough. It’s worth noting that especially old and poorly installed gutters may need to be reinstalled just because gutters aren’t placed properly. When this happens, there are ups and bumps inside the gutter, which leads to clogging.
What Are The Main Threats For Your Gutters?
The way the environment affects your gutters depends on the place you live – homeowners from southern states, such as Florida, Georgia, Texas or Louisiana don’t need to care about the snow. Homeowners living in urban areas face fewer problems with leaves, while gutters along asphalt roofs are susceptible to granule-clogging.
Accumulation of Leaves and Debris
If your house is located in a forested area or you just have some trees in the immediate vicinity of the house, you need to deal with constant leaf and debris removal. While any organic matter should be removed from the roof, as it may fertilize this area and stimulate algae growth, the same matter in gutters can clog them quickly.
You should remember about frequent cleaning especially when the air temperature exceeds 50°F, as in such conditions, leaves decay quickly. Even after just few days, the sludge may start filling all the niches inside the gutter.
Granules From Asphalt Shingles
Due to the shingle deterioration, mineral granules start to fall down straight to the drainage system. While at the very beginning of this process, this isn’t a serious threat at first to the roof, after some time it becomes.
Wrong Weight Distribution
The general rule says that gutter hangers should be placed every 18″ – 24″, unless you live in a place when there’s no snow at all. However, despite that, some gutter contractors try to cut the corners by using less hangers. As it obviously speeds up the installation and reduced the material price, it’s a great way to increase the profit. Unfortunately, it nearly always shortens the gutter lifespan, as the gutters start to curl, and they bend. Bent or sagging gutters don’t just look bad – they also weaken the drainage system and can lead to leak forming.
How Often Should I Clean My Gutters?
In theory, to avoid any problems with gutter clogging, you should conduct a comprehensive cleaning twice a year – once in a fall, and once in a spring. In practice, only a few per cent of homeowners in the United States clean their gutters every year.
Based on our experience we can admit that unless you live in a house near to the significant count of the trees, cleaning the gutters every two years will be sufficient enough. However, if there’s a need to clean the roof drainage more frequently than once a year, you should probably have gutter guards installed.
What Happens When Gutters Aren’t Cleaned?
As usually, it depends. In the vast majority of cases, clogged gutters will simply stop running the water to the downspouts. Rainwater will start to overflow and annoy passersby, as someone may get wet.
Sometimes, consequences get much more severe, as the rainwater may get under the siding, insulation and soffit, causing mold growth and rot. During the winter, when the debris in the gutter freezes, the overflowing water may get under the roof, what often leads to ice dams and leaks.
What To Do When The Gutter Got Clogged?
If you spot the gutter clog, you need to act fast. It’s unlikely that the drainage system will unclog itself, so you should be ready to remove the debris by yourself or to hire a professional immediately.
Cleaning The Roof Drainage System On Your Own
When you decide to remove the debris by yourself, you should be aware of what are you doing. While it’s a fairly easy task, still some things can go wrong. First and foremost, always take care of your safety, for example by using safety harness and stable ladder. It’s especially important if you live in a multi-story house or you’re not used to work on the ladder.
Shops such as Lowes or Home Depot offer brushes and garden hose attachments designed specifically for cleaning the roof drainage – such tools usually cost no more than $150 and offer satisfactory quality of manufacturing. However, you need to keep in mind that they are less efficient than professional equipment as a rule, and what’s more important, they may be difficult to use on a two-story house.
If the roof’s pitch doesn’t exceed 7/12, you may try to clean the gutters by hand, standing on the roof above. It’s obviously slightly more risky, but at the same time, the whole process will take you less time and should be easier.
Having Gutters Cleaned By The Professional Roofer
As an alternative to cleaning the drainage by yourself, you can choose paying someone to that for you. The prices of such a service vary vastly, but A.B. Edward Enterprises, which operates in Chicago suburbs usually charges between $350 and $650 comprehensive gutter cleaning and maintenance. Is such a fee that much? Not really, if you take into account at least 3 or 4 hours of your time, specialist tools and the risk of falling from the ladder.
When Is It Worth To Have Gutters Cleaned By Professional?
It always depends on what kind of house do you live in and what is the problem.
Are Gutter Guards Worth It?
Gutter guards are designed to trap debris (like leaves and branches) while allowing rainwater to flow into the gutter. The protective part is mounted on the upper edge of the gutter. There are different types of gutter guards, varying in cost, material, installation method, and effectiveness:
- Micro-mesh – made of fine stainless steel. This is one of the more expensive options, but also one of the most effective. It prevents larger debris, such as pollen, from entering the gutter.
- Brush covers – these are brushes made of hard bristles that are inserted into the gutters. They are easy to install and remove but require regular maintenance.
- Foam covers – spongy inserts that allow water to pass through while trapping debris. The advantage of this solution is its low cost and easy installation, which you can do yourself. However, this option requires frequent replacement due to mold and algae buildup.
- Solid surface covers – the most expensive but also the most aesthetic and durable option. These covers allow water to flow down their curved surface while leaves and debris fall to the ground. Professional installation is required.
This type of gutter protection reduces the risk of leaks and corrosion and cuts down on cleaning frequency. However, it’s important to pay attention to installation—incorrect installation can lead to water overflow—and choose the right system, as not every type fits every gutter.
So, do gutter guards make sense? Definitely yes, unless you don’t live on a desert. You don’t need to be a professional or have specialized skills to take care of your gutters – the only thing you need to do is to remove the debris with a brush from guards, and it’s a fairly easy job to do. The risk of clogging is reduced, and maintenance takes you much less time.
What Kind of Leaf Guards Are Best to Choose?
Let’s get things straight – every type of gutter guards is better than lack of guards at all. It’s worth noting, however, that brush covers and foam covers aren’t hassle-free solutions, while micro-mesh and solid surface covers are. As a gutter repair contractor from Glenview, we install only them.
When Should You Call a Specialist For a Gutter Maintenance?
Despite DIY techniques for maintaining gutter systems, it’s important to remember that in certain situations, calling a specialist is necessary:
- For multi-story houses, working at heights poses a safety hazard;
- If the gutters are deformed, leaking, or detached from the roof;
- When individual sections need to be replaced;
- When installing hard surface covers or heating systems.
You should be aware of the risk involved in choosing the roofing / guttering contractor for yourself. Choice of the roofing contractor is crucial, as under-qualified roofers may simply damage your drainage system. Regular gutter maintenance saves you time, money, and headaches. Whether you need a one-time cleaning, gutter guard installation, or a full repair, our team is here to help. Contact us today to schedule professional gutter service in the Chicago suburbs!
