Did you know that as simple a chore as cleaning your home’s gutters can prevent serious problems down the road? Poorly-functioning gutters can cause water to back up in your gutter system, causing any number of different issues in your home. Here’s a quick look at why it’s vital that you don’t skip this simple household chore.
Avoid Moisture Damage and Ice Dams by Gutter Cleaning
When your gutters are full of debris, they can very easily become backed up with water from rainstorms, especially heavy showers. This is caused by the debris preventing the water from draining out of the system as it was intended in your home’s design. This creates extra weight in your gutters that your home’s fascia is not necessarily designed to withstand, leading to cracking and water damage.
Excess Moisture Causes Serious Damage
If the rain happens when the temperatures are cold or the rain begins to switch to ice, it’s very easy for the water to back up onto your roof. This water can get underneath your roofing materials, causing leaks. If it’s not taken care of promptly and properly, it’s very easy for this excess moisture to cause serious damage to your roof’s decking materials. If left untreated, this backup can form an ice dam, which can add a serious load to your roof’s structure while causing a lot of damage to the roofing materials themselves. This can also cause leaks to form later on in the year, when a warm winter’s day causes the ice to thaw and leak into your home.
Poor-Functioning Gutters Lead to Siding Damage
Poorly-functioning gutters can also cause water to overflow onto your siding. Because siding is somewhat protected by the roof overhang on your home, it’s more sensitive to water than your roofing materials are. When water overflows behind your gutters, it can splash your siding. Algae can build up in your gutters, causing staining.
AVA Can Help You Avoid This Damage
By taking on as simple a task as cleaning out your gutters regularly, you can avoid this kind of damage to your home’s structure, siding and roofing. If you have had damage to your roof from ice dams or staining on your siding from overflowing gutters, we can help you get your home back to looking beautiful again. Please feel free to contact AVA Roofing & Siding today with any questions, to get more information or to request a free estimate from our experienced professional contractors.