Fall may be the most spectacular season, but it also has the potential to cause some problems especially as winter approaches. The secret to keeping your home safe is simple: gutter cleaning. Here’s why gutter cleaning is so important in the fall in Highland Park and Wilmette, IL, areas.
Related: Why You Shouldn't Put Off Gutter Cleaning This Summer In Wilmette And Buffalo Grove, IL Areas
Leaves are beautiful on the trees, but once they end up in your gutters, they quickly become a solid, slimy, rubbery mass that sticks to the gutters and prevents water from flowing freely. Before you know it, it’s a maintenance nightmare.
Waterlogged leaves are heavy. Excessive buildup of wet leaves can cause structural damage to the gutters, especially sectional gutters (the joints often separate due to the weight). Heavy leaf debris can also damage the roof or fascia boards; and since fascia boards are attached to the house as well as the roof, replacing them is a big, preventable project.
Leaf clogs can cause gutters to run over, causing water to drip (or pour) down the siding and water collecting at the foundation. This can eventually lead to structural damage to the home. Modern foundations are waterproofed, but older foundations may not be. Water seems to find a way through the tiniest cracks and can settle within a foundation or seep into the basement or crawl space. Damage from the freeze-thaw cycle means expensive foundation repairs.
Once freezing weather comes, leaves can cause ice to build up. Ice dams have a nasty way of defying gravity and working their way up under shingles as the ice expands, damaging the roof.
Mold will inevitably grow as the leaf mass rots in the gutters. As water overflows, this mold can attach to the home. Clogged gutters can become a health hazard for individuals who are sensitive to mold.
If leaf-clogged gutters manage to survive the winter, spring brings another challenge as birds and squirrels find gutters to be wonderful nest sites. Worse, roaches and wasps love wet, rotting debris.
How Often Is Gutter Cleaning Necessary in the Fall?
How many times you have to clean your gutters in fall depends on your landscape: the number and types of trees, and the type of roof. Deciduous trees can drop quite a few leaves into your gutters over the course of a single autumn - but don’t be fooled if you have evergreen trees! Evergreens shed their needles all year, and these need to be removed. In addition, debris from asphalt shingles gets into the gutters which slows the flow of water and contributes to clogging.
Why Not Clean Your Gutters Yourself?
Gutter cleaning is a messy but doable job on a single-story home. A multi-story home with hard-to-access gutters is not a job for the faint of heart. It requires being on a sturdy ladder on a stable surface, holding on with one hand while removing debris and scrubbing or pressure-washing debris with the other hand. You may need to actually get up on the roof to avoid damaging gutters as they are not designed to hold the weight of a person on a ladder leaning against them.
In addition to the hazards of the job, also remember inspections. The gutters, clamps, downspouts, and the area below the downspouts need to be inspected at every cleaning to make sure small problems can be addressed quickly.
Related: Why Expert Tree Service And Gutter Cleaning Are So Important This Upcoming Fall In Lake Forest IL
