While cleaning the muck out of your gutters might be the last thing on your mind this year, you should definitely add it to your to-do list. Gutters are a vital aspect of your home, diverting all water safely away from it. Therefore, if you don’t clean your gutters on a regular basis, you run the risk of causing serious water damage to your home. And as you may know, gutter replacement and other repairs can be both time-consuming and costly.
Here is what you’ll have to deal with if you don’t give your gutters the proper treatment:
1. Wall and Siding Damage
A house’s siding is quite exposed, so it’s no wonder that it’s the first to get damaged. If your siding is wooden, you will most likely need to replace all of it in case of water damage. That also includes wooden window frames and any other external structures.
What’s more, clogging can also cause damage to the roof edging and structural support. As a result, water can get inside, causing stains on the ceiling and the walls. Worst of all, the walls could get infested with mold, which is hazardous to your health if inhaled.
2. Foundation Damage
Water is tricky, so it can reach through every nook and cranny it comes across. If your gutters aren’t functioning properly, excess water will pour down the sides of your wall and onto the ground, causing pools of water.
It can reach not only the deepest internal structures of your house but also the foundation underneath it. Consequently, the materials deteriorate and the foundation becomes weaker and starts cracking, which could be catastrophic.
3. Gutter Damage
Not cleaning your gutters on a regular basis will cause the debris to pile up, filling them to the brim. Obviously, the more debris — the heavier the burden. Sometimes, gutters will crack under all this pressure or detach and fall off completely. And if one gutter section is gone, the whole gutter system is compromised.
Therefore, you should get a gutter replacement as soon as possible to prevent more damage from occurring.
4. Basement and Attic Damage
If water is able to penetrate the house’s foundation, it’s most certainly able to reach your attic or basement. As we don’t visit these rooms that often, it usually takes a long time to detect a problem, which means they can stay wet for a while. That is problematic considering mold takes only about 24 hours to start developing.
What’s more, the basement/attic then becomes the perfect damp habitat for nasty pests like rats, mice, and insects.
5. Landscape Damage
Keeping your gutters clean will also ensure your lovely garden landscape stays protected from water damage. A heavy water flow can easily ravage most garden plant life it comes across, wiping out months, if not years of your hard work.
Final Thoughts
Do yourself a favor — clean your gutters on a regular basis. That way, you will avert a disaster and prevent severe water damage to your home, its foundation, and the entire property.
And remember, you can always call Tadlock Roofing if you need a hand. Our skilled team of experts can successfully handle anything from water damage roof repairs to Roof Preventative Maintenance. Contact us and schedule your free estimate today.
