Cleaning your home's gutters downspouts

What a bother you say?

Besides keeping you from getting drenched when stepping out the front door, rain gutters do lots of good for the overall health of a house. Functioning gutters can prevent erosion around the foundation, siding and exterior doors from deteriorating. Gutters can save a house from the damaging effects of water. 

However, they do require regular maintenance. Chances are, if you have gutters you probably don’t clean them out often enough. If you notice vegetation growing in your gutters, then you are waiting far too long. Here are some of the problems that occur when gutters are left clogged for extended periods of time:

• Water damming occurs which can cause damage to eaves and soffits
• Water can leak into the house and cause damage to walls and flooring
• Mosquitoes can breed in the standing water.  Remember, mosquitoes pass diseases to humans.
  
• Dry leaves in gutters can be a fire hazard, especially when fireworks are used, or in areas prone to wild fires
• Deterioration of gutters occurs, which cause leaks and eventual failure

Frequency of cleaning out gutters is different for every house. Determining factors include:

• The proximity of trees to the roof line
• The type of trees
• Slope of the roofing

For houses with trees within ten feet of the roof line, gutters will need to be cleaned out twice a year at a minimum. In some cases gutters may need to be cleaned out a couple times in fall alone. Even if there are no trees around, gutter cleaning may still be required, especially on houses with asphalt shingles. Over time these shingles loose their granules and eventually these granules make their way into the gutters, and can cause the damming effect of added weight and prevent proper drainage from the gutters.

Cleaning your gutters from a ladder or the roof can be extremely dangerous. In most cases, this task should be left to a professional. Think first about the down time and cost of a broken leg or arm before taking on any dangerous jobs around the house. Often the cost of hiring this job out to an expert is substantially less then a potential injury might cost you.

There are some products available that homeowner can use to reach lower gutters.  Most of these tools simply attach to the end of a garden hose so the water spray can push the debris out.
 

Frequency: As needed (usually late spring and fall)
Difficulty: medium difficulty with higher risk of injury (ladder or rooftop)
Tools Required: Gloves, hose, ladder
Completion Time: One to two hours

Regardless of they type of house you have, there are some necessary tasks you will have to do stay on top of things.  Learn more and keep up with your house with a free My Healthy House.com profile.  Stay tuned and make your house the best it can be.
 

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© Healthy House, Inc. 2009