Why Gutter Cleaning is Important

The gutters on our homes serve an extremely important function, but in all honesty, not too many homeowners pay that much attention to them. The topic of gutters, whether we admit it or not, is hardly fascinating for many homeowners. That is until problems caused by neglect start to manifest themselves and cause a certain amount of damage to our homes.

Waiting to get your gutters cleaned until you notice a problem is just like waiting for a heart attack to happen before working on lowering your cholesterol levels. If you don’t do gutter cleaning on a regular basis, you might have to deal with these problems that could actually be avoided if only you paid any attention to your gutters in the first place:

Clogged Gutters and Structural Damage

One inevitable result of clogged gutters is structural damage to your home. You see, water can’t flow freely from the roof if you don’t clean your gutters regularly of leaves and other debris. One heavy downpour and your gutter will be overflowing with water. Since its supposed route out of the roof is blocked by debris, the water has to go somewhere, and that somewhere is your internal roof area. When water from clogged gutters goes past the fascia boards, your house is bound to suffer water damage that includes swollen ceilings, water leaks, and leaking basements. Clogged gutters could also eventually lead to cracked foundations, as excess water against the foundation can weaken the footings.

Clogged Gutters Damage Insulations and Electrical Wirings

It is not unheard of for water from clogged gutters to cause damage to the insulation of your home. Even more dangerous is the fact that water from clogged gutters can make its way to the electrical wirings and light fittings in your ceiling. It could cause a short, or worse, someone in your household could get electrocuted.

Clogged Gutters Promote Mould Growth

With water seeping freely from clogged gutters through the ceiling, it won’t be long before rising damp settles in. And when there is much dampness, mold growth is sure to follow. Aside from causing structural damage to anything that they grow on, mold also poses a health hazard. Mould, after all, can cause or worsen respiratory and allergic conditions.

Animals and Wood-destroying insects love Clogged Gutters

When water pools in clogged gutters, you can expect mosquitoes to breed in it. The uncollected gutter debris also makes an ideal home for birds, other insects, and even mice. The resulting dampness from a gutter leak does not just damage timber that’s anywhere near it. Bugs love moisture, and dampness can lead to insect infestations, like termites, for instance.

Make Gutter Cleaning a Priority

There is that well-worn cliché about prevention being better than a ton of cure, and it very much applies to your gutters. In order to prevent the issues associated with clogged gutters, you should clean your gutters regularly, especially if you live in a city like Sydney, where unpredictable weather patterns are a part of life.

So how do you clean your gutters regularly? It’s actually something that you can do yourself, but always keep in mind that there are certain dangers attached to it. For one, you will have to get up there to clear the clogged gutters. If you don’t have suitable ladders and harnesses to help you clean your gutters regularly, gutter cleaning might be a bit of a dangerous proposition for you.

If personal safety is an issue, you can always opt to clean your gutters regularly with the help of professionals. We at BeezNeez Plumbing offer a gutter cleaning service that will clear your gutters of any debris and remind you when the next cleaning would likely be. Give us a call, and we’ll be more than glad to send them your way.