LAST UPDATED: March 2023.
The importance of gutter cleaning and maintenance
Cleaning and otherwise maintaining your gutter system is an integral part of proper home maintenance in Calgary. Regular upkeep through cleaning brings numerous benefits. From protecting your roof and making the home weather resistant to preventing internal and structural damage. However, even with all of these, it’s no secret that gutter cleaning can feel like a hassle. It’s a time, money, and energy-consuming venture. Since the gutter system is rarely thought of, it’s common for homeowners to overlook the value of a regular good quality gutter cleaning. With this list of benefits that come with it and the dangers of skipping it, we hope to help homeowners truly understand that gutter cleaning is worth it, no matter how much of a hassle it can sometimes be.
Prevents roof leakage
The primary function of your gutters is to direct any water flow from your roof away from it and to a designated drainage area. This means that if everything is working correctly, gutters can prevent water from pooling and seeping into your internal roofing system. This subsequently causes leaks in the roof and home. However, if you don’t clean them, gutters will eventually start to accumulate debris. If enough debris builds up, the water won’t be able to drain properly, and it’ll overflow back into your roof—once again, causing leaks.
A leak in your roof is generally easy to notice. There are certain signs you can look out for. However, once you notice these, it’s already too late, and water damage has to be addressed first. Some common signs of leaking to look out for would be:
– The decaying material.
– Discoloration of your sheetrock.
– Saggy sheet rock ceilings.
– Water drippings.
Luckily, this whole ordeal can be avoided by cleaning your gutters regularly. Clearing it of debris whenever there’s significant build-up will result in your roof always being able to drain excess water and be protected from leaking. Of course, you must make sure to avoid some of the more common gutter cleaning mistakes if you want to prevent leakage. If you mess something up and damage your roof or gutter system on your own, you’ll face a repair fee and an even bigger risk of roof leakage.
It protects your home’s structural integrity
The next reason why gutter cleaning is worth it builds on the previous idea of unclean gutters being unable to drain water properly and causing leaks. If water on its own couldn’t create any further damage, these two issues wouldn’t be much of a problem. However, the reality is that water damage always follows leaks and pooling. In general, you can count on two things being at the biggest risk of damage from unclean gutters:
– The home’s foundation – Your gutter system drains water away from your foundation. That way, it prevents it from seeping into cracks and pores and damaging the materials of your foundation. Over time this can create serious foundational damage and greatly reduce your home’s structural integrity.
– Internal structure components – After your roof starts to leak, a large amount of built-up water can get into the different areas of your home. Then it can start damaging components of your internal structure. This means it can cause damage to anything from ceilings and walls to crawl spaces and the basement.
All of this slowly contributes to the degradation of your home’s structural integrity. This reduces your home value and creates certain risks, such as roof collapse. But if you set aside an hour or two to clean out your gutters and remove built-up debris, all of this could be prevented.
Gutter cleaning in Calgary is worth it because it protects your home’s exterior
Having good landscaping outside your home is crucial to improving its aesthetic curb appeal. There are numerous benefits to good landscaping in Calgary. It heightens the value of your home while also making your yard more comfortable to spend time in. Depending on the landscaping you choose, it can also provide the necessary shade to regulate temperatures and shield your home’s exterior walls from sun damage.
Additionally, if you create a comfortable outdoor living area, such as a beautifully furnished patio, these benefits are amplified even further. The issue is that clogged gutters can ruin all of that. Whenever there is a rainstorm, your gutters are tasked with directing water away from your landscaping and through your spouts. This subsequently protects it from collecting too much moisture. But, when clogged gutters start overflowing, your landscaping and outdoor living areas are exposed to the risk of several types of damage, as per ‘Russian Calgary’ website. Some examples of that would be the following:
– Plants and flowers die from over-saturation.
– The soil starts to erode.
– Outdoor furniture is ruined.
It would be a huge shame and a waste if you were to, for instance, move outdoor furniture and accessories onto your patio or deck area and create an oasis where you can spend time in peace, only for all of that to be damaged by rainwater because you didn’t take the time to clean out your gutters and spouts.
It helps with your health
There are several ways regular gutter cleaning can protect your and your family’s health and well-being. Most people don’t normally associate clean gutters with their health. However, this is a great example of the variety of reasons why gutter cleaning is worth it. Another important thing to note is that you have to practice appropriate safety measures. The benefit of a clean gutter system protecting your health would be nullified if you were to hurt yourself by not following things like ladder safety precautions. For this article, let’s go through three of the most
important factors that go into this.
Pests
Pests like rats and mosquitoes find the perfect home in debris buildup and stagnant water. These animals (especially their excretions) can spread certain diseases to you and your family.
Bacteria from organic debris
The most common type of debris in your gutters is organic debris, such as leaves and sticks. When this organic matter starts to decompose, the sitting water in your clogged gutters can become contaminated. While we are pretty sure no one will be drinking this water, it can still become a hazard once bacteria and spores start spreading through the air.
Mold and mildew
Likely the biggest potential issue of unclean gutters is mold and mildew growth. The presence of decaying organic matter increases the chances of this happening. Mold and mildew can start to develop not only in your gutters but also in your roofing system and the rest of your home. These can be particularly hazardous to kids and those with respiratory issues, although everyone can be affected.
Other minor benefits
Aside from the four main things that can be protected with gutter cleaning (roof integrity, structural integrity, home exterior, and health), we would like to highlight some of the other “fringe benefits” that come as a result of these:
– Home value preservation.
– Pest infestation prevention.
– Basement flooding prevention.
– Extended gutter system lifespan.
– Extended roof lifespan.
In conclusion
With all of the potential benefits, it should be apparent to most homeowners why gutter cleaning is worth it and why it should never be avoided. Remember that other factors play into you getting the most out of your gutter cleaning practices. For example, you have to time the task correctly. Your gutter system should go through a deep clean every fall. This is when professional gutter cleaning services come in handy. Additionally, you should do a few smaller cleaning jobs throughout the rest of the year by yourself as a form of upkeep. As much of a hassle as it may seem, with a healthy mix of the appropriate tools, professional help, and good timing, the entire process can be easy for anyone to handle.
By the way, we are one of the top choices for Gutter Cleaners in Calgary.
Why hire ‘Gutter Cleaning on a Budget’ for your eavestrough cleaning needs?
A small but dedicated family business. We are in the TOP THREE gutter cleaning companies in our beautiful city, and #1 by volume of eavestrough cleaning jobs in Calgary. Thank you, YYC. We’ve been working hard to achieve and sustain this status. We guarantee that your gutters, eavestroughs, and downspouts will have no clogs after our appointment. Plus, we can double the lifespan of your gutters.
Wonder if you can trust us?
Over the years, we helped CEOs, doctors, lawyers, engineers, IT-specialists, tradesmen, and even some local celebrities. We helped single moms, retirees, landlords, tenants, new homeowners, and a lot of other people who are not comfortable with heights or don’t have enough knowledge of rain gutter systems. That means you won’t be among the first hundred customers that trusted us, but we are very happy to work for you anyway 🙂
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