Why You Should Clean Your Home’s Clogged Gutters

by Lisa Duguay, ABR, SRES 08/11/2019

Falling leaves are lovely in the fall but can fill your gutters quickly. Clogged gutters can pose a serious problem to your house. One reason for clogged gutters is a lack of maintenance after rains and over a long period. Regular maintenance of your gutter systems can prevent problems from accumulated debris. Clogged gutters can cause leakages that will lead to the growth of mold inside the house, cracked foundation, rotten wood, and other serious problems.

Roofing Damage

Clogged rain gutters can also cause rainwater to remain on your roof for a long time. This pooling water can rot the wood supports of the roof and walls. The rotting wood will then cause leakage of water into the house that will damage your property and lead to expensive roof repairs.

Growth of Mold

An un-maintained gutter system can cause mold to form inside and outside of your house. Moldy fungi can spread quickly especially inside your home and create a health hazard that requires special environmental cleanup services to remove them. This removal of mold can also be expensive. On the exterior, the leaking rainwater from clogged gutters can cause the siding to bow and become moldy. Mold or bowing may require the replacement of a large portion of your home's siding which is an expensive and challenging process.

Cracked foundations

Gutters move water away from your house's foundation. When water cannot drain away from the house properly, it falls off the roof and begins to pool at the foundation of the house, which could cause expensive damage to your foundation. As any damage to a house's foundation is a critical issue that may require your home to get re-certified for building code violations. Also, water damage to your basement can cause you to lose properties that are expensive to replace.

Avoid all these problems with your home with proper and regular maintenance to your gutter systems. Most of the problems caused by leaking gutters are expensive and time-consuming to fix. It is therefore essential to clear up your gutters of all debris regularly to avoid all these issues. In a case where you notice that there are some issues with your building already, speak to a general contractor to help you carry out a comprehensive assessment and schedule repairs immediately.

About the Author
Author

Lisa Duguay, ABR, SRES

Lisa is a sales and marketing professional with over 20 years of experience representing buyers and sellers throughout Fairfield County. Her deep understanding of local residential markets and current trends along with the exceptional local and global networking resources of Berkshire Hathaway allow her to provide the highest level of personalized, professional and confidential services to her clients. An experienced listener and negotiator, she works with her clients to thoroughly understand and achieve the results they desire. Dedicated, discreet, ethical, honest and principled, Lisa has been consistently recognized as a top producing agent and is a trusted resource within her communities. * Certified Relocation Specialist *Accredited Real Estate Buyer’s Representative (ABR) *Accredited, Senior Real Estate Specialist Council (SRES) *Member, National Association of Realtors *Member, Connecticut Association of Realtors *Member, Greater Fairfield Board of Realtors * Member, National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Lisa is a lifelong area resident who grew up in Westport and currently resides in Southport. She is actively involved as a volunteer for several local organizations including the CT Alzheimer’s Association.