It’s not unusual for homeowners to completely forget about cleaning their home’s rain gutters during the warmer months. After all, you don’t need working gutters until the rain really starts coming down, right? The truth is that thinking this way can put your home at risk for serious roof problems and inside water damage come fall and winter. If you don’t have the right power washing equipment in Richland, WA to properly clean your gutters, consider hiring a company that does.
Signs you need to do maintenance on your gutters
It may not be easy to look into your gutters to check for debris buildup, but it’s a good guess that they do contain some amount of gunk. Watch for the following signs that may point to dirty gutters to avoid damage or other potential problems that may befall your home or commercial building:
- Overflowing rainwater: Rainwater falls onto your roof, then washes into the gutters and flows out the downspout—or at least that’s the idea of this home rainwater mitigation system. When your gutters are clogged, water can overflow onto your roof and down your siding. As water continues to spill over, moisture begins to creep under shingles, even in between seams that connect the roof and gutter to your home. Eventually, this results in indoor water damage to ceilings and walls.
- Structural issues: If you see gutters pulling away from the side of the building, this could be an indication of wood rot or that they’re packed with too much debris. Whether mulch-like and wet or just a ton of dry sticks and leaves, heavy debris can weigh gutters down, especially when there’s no way for it to escape out the downspout. We mentioned rainwater spilling over—if not taken care of, this can lead to wood rotting and gutter systems either pulling away or disconnecting from the house.
- Mold and algae: Being a moist environment, your rain gutters could grow mold and algae if left dirty, especially during the rainy seasons. This can make for an unsightly mess, which is only trumped by how inefficient your gutters will be. After you look into how well power washing in Richland, WA can clean your gutters, you’ll wonder why you’ve never called in the pros before!
- No gutter screens: Whether the tops of your gutters are covered with a simple fitted wire grid or something more high tech to keep debris from falling in, at least you’ve set your rain gutters up for a fair fight against clogs. The gutters without any sort of debris barrier are the ones that are likely to jam up, cause water backups and need replacing.
Now that you know just how important it is for rain to have a clear path off your roof, the time to look into thorough gutter cleaning is now—don’t wait until your home or business gutters clog up and malfunction to schedule a cleaning. Luckily for you, the team at Imperial Power Washing is available year round to provide professional power washing in Richland, WA for gutters, rooftops and more. Call today!