Keeping Your Gutters Clog-Free

Unclogging your gutters can be a tedious and risky job if you do it on your own. This is because you won’t guarantee you get the job done thoroughly, and you’ll put your safety at risk by going up on the roof. But as a homeowner, you should know that gutter cleaning and maintenance are necessary to avoid water pooling that can damage the edge of your roof.

 

To avoid having to do the gutter cleaning yourself, just let the professionals handle the job instead. But if you have the basic safety equipment and think you can do it yourself, it still helps to know the common causes behind gutter clogs. 

Leaves and Small Branches

When you have nearby trees with overhanging branches, they tend to shed their leaves over your roof. This happens often throughout the year, but it gets more intense during the fall season. Gutter guards are the best way to keep the debris from clogging your gutters, but during the fall season, it still becomes tedious to clear out the branches and leaves off the roof by yourself. To save yourself the trouble, make sure to hire a professional roofer to do it for you. 

Sludge

This black material is made of broken-down leaves, branches and, sometimes, rotten animal carcasses that were unfortunate enough to get stuck inside your gutters. And the sludge is left stuck inside your residential roofing gutters and downspouts, they won’t effectively direct the water runoff. This will slowly cause rotting damage on your roof’s edges! While this is normally just disposed of after unclogging your gutters, you can choose to use the sludge as organic matter in your compost pile. Just make sure to get a professional to do it for you to ensure a thorough gutter cleaning.

Birds’ Nests

Birds are often attracted to your gutters, especially if they see small branches, leaves and other accumulated debris to build their nests. They’ll usually build their nest at a nearby branch, but some may decide to build their home directly on your gutters! The best way to avoid this is to regularly inspect your gutters and have them cleaned properly. A gutter guard should also be considered to prevent the birds from building their nests directly in them.

If you’re looking for an experienced gutter installer and roofer, you can count on the services offered by Ben’s Construction Inc! Call us today at (508) 962-2417, or fill out our convenient online contact form.