Clogged gutters are more than just a hassle to clean, as they can actually cause damage to your home and cause roof leaks when it rains a lot. Uncovered gutters are designed to channel water through the gutter, to the downspouts and away from your home. Clogged gutters will cause water to accumulate and settle on the roof. That water will seep into your home and damage your shingles, roof, and more.
It can also cause the gutter system to deform and become heavy before it detaches from your home structure and takes part of the roof with it. Clogged gutters are a common cause of roof leaks, especially if you have trees near your home. Branches, twigs, leaves, and other debris can fall into gutters all year round and fill them. Storms and windy conditions can also blow debris into gutters, creating a blockage.
Gutters that overflow will not only cause damage to the roof, but they will also cause a handful of other costly problems. Your best bet? Avoid them completely by keeping gutters clean and clear. But just in case you need a little extra motivation, continue reading about the effects of clogged and overflowing gutters. Heavy gutters filled with water and debris can damage panels and fascia.
If they break, water can enter your home and cause further damage. Adding gutter covers to your gutter system can extend the time needed between cleanings, but it won't save you from a basement flood. Wait for a particularly dry and sunny day to arrive, carefully remove debris from the gutters, and then flush the gutter system with water. Your gutter system should be cleaned every season to ensure that your home is properly protected against costly water-related damage.
If you face frequent gutter blockages or notice water pouring down the sides, the gutters may have an incorrect passage. Clogged gutters leave your home with no way to drain water after a heavy rain, allowing it to remain stagnant in the gutter channel. If you live in an area with pine trees, you'll need to clean the gutters more than once a year. Stains on the lining or on the downspouts and gutters are a telltale sign that the gutters have overflowed due to a blockage.
If you live in a location that experiences heavy rain and a lot of leaves during the fall, it might be worth cleaning gutters quarterly. Fallen gutters on their own aren't particularly damaging to your property as a whole, but as they begin to move away from your roof, the gutters could come off and bring with them some of the outside of your home. That's because cleaning gutters can help prevent anything from honeycombs to a bad foundation. Leaving aside the impact of clogged gutters in your roof, other damage to your home could include the walls, as the gutters separate from the structure and, as we will see below, its foundations.
If there is enough debris left in the gutters for long periods of time, excess weight will begin to wear down the gutter itself.
