Our own expert gutter cleaning professionals, as well as industry experts, home repair pros, and insurance companies, all recommend that home gutters are inspected and cleaned twice a year. This can vary depending on a number of factors including local tree coverage and weather. Spring and fall are the times of the year when gutter cleaning is most effective.
Gutter Cleaning Schedule
Spring: Late spring is a very effective time to inspect and clean gutters. Increased rain fall in the season can lead to problems if gutters are filled with debris. A complete inspection of the gutters including hangers and downspouts is recommended along with a full cleaning.
Fall: The most important time to clean gutters is during the fall to coincide with leaf fall and increased rain and the potential for snow in many areas. Gutters must be clear so water is carried away from the roof efficiently. Cleaning gutters in the fall can also help prevent dangerous and damaging ice dams during the winter.
Additional Cleaning: Periodic cleaning may be called for if the location has a large amount of tree coverage over or near the home or if there are reasons for debris to enter the gutters including construction. One or more additional professional inspections and cleanings may be required.
Rain Gutters: Do You Really Need Them?
The short answer is yes. Rain gutters provide a way for water to be carried away from the roof when it rains in the safest, most efficient way. Rain gutters protect your landscaping obviously, but also protect your roof surface, walls, windows, foundation, and basement areas as well. This is because the rain water can be carried away from these areas without allowing them to penetrate the surfaces where it can cause expensive damage.
Since you have gutters, they obviously need to be cleaned, and cleaned somewhat regularly – as we said, a minimum of twice a year. They need to be clean because in doing their job, they gather up leaves and debris which becomes trapped in the gutters. This debris blocks the flow of water which causes the gutters to overflow which defeats the purpose of having the gutters in the first place. Gutters that are not cleaned are not only inefficient, they are hazardous in that they can pull away from the support structure and fall as well.
Take a look at our video on the recommended gutter cleaning schedule for most homes across the country:
Gutters are not in place to just keep water off of your head. Gutters serve a very valuable service. When rain hits your roof and comes barreling down, it needs someplace to safely land. Your gutters are the ideal place. Gutters channel the rain water to specific locations and then release it to the ground.
By channeling the water away from the roof line, gutters protect the wood underneath your edges of your shingles, the wood under your eaves of your home (fascia) and it protects your siding as well. Not only that, making sure that you have gutters helps prevent top-soil erosion of the landscaping at the base of your home. When water is allowed to pool at the base of your home it can lead to foundation cracking and many other expensive repairs.
In short, gutters are in place to save the homeowner money!
What Is Included In Gutter Cleaning
For starters, you are always going to find leaves. But not just leaves, decomposing leaves that have mixed with dust and turned into a soggy muddy mess. You will find twigs, branches, pine needles, and other “tree matter.” You will also find, often time, weeds that have grown up in the gutters. If you have asphalt shingles you will also get a good bit of debris from them. Little hard pellets of shingles come off with the rain and find a nice home in your gutters.
Professional gutter cleaning includes removing debris from the roof surface around the gutters and in valleys leading to the gutters, clearing the gutters of debris, flushing downspouts, and inspecting the support structure and hangers to make sure the gutters are going to work properly now that they are clean. Minor repairs are also typically included like tightening screws and hangers.
A professional gutter cleaning company will have the equipment needed to not only reach the gutters but the roof surface too as well as what is needed to do the cleaning and other work effectively. Clean Pro Gutter Cleaning teams across the country also have years of experience working with gutters and are fully insured. And our service includes a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
Read More: What Is The Purpose Of Gutters?
Now, all good things must come to an end and that includes clean gutters.The Recommended Gutter Cleaning Schedule is usually twice a year. Once in the spring time and once in the fall. Of course, this doesn’t apply to every customers.
If you don’t have any trees in your yard, or your neighbors yard then the odds are that you will not need this service done but once every year to two years. On the other hand, if you live in an established neighborhood with many trees you might need this service done once every three months. In this, and in most things, a little common sense comes into place.
How To Save Money On Gutter Cleaning
For the homeowner to realize the savings of having working gutters, they have to be cleaned. Having gutters that are filled up with debris is actually worse than not having them at all. Preventative maintenance can go a long way to insuring gutters stay clean. Here are some steps that can be taken to help lengthen the time between gutter cleanings:
- Trim all trees and bushes so that they are away from the home and the roof
- Look for spots that show evidence of clogs such as birds or insects and clean these areas immediately and often.
- Run a water hose at one end of the gutters to help flush out any small debris
Review:
Gutters that work properly save the home owner thousands of dollars in repair bills. Having your gutters cleaned properly is key to realizing these savings. With the savings that are possible, and the efficiency and low price of professional gutter cleaning from Clean Pro Gutter Cleaning you are well on your way to having the peace of mind that clean gutters can help provide.
To receive a free estimate for your gutter cleaning Get Your Quote Online Here.
This post originally appeared in 2017 and was updated in September, 2019.
