As August comes to an end, Georgia's driest season approaches. With much fewer thunderstorms after August, the threat of a random rainstorm lessens for many Georgia homes, making this period a prime time to give your gutters the treatment they need.
After a warm and wet summer, your gutters have been working hard to keep water away from your home and off your roof. It's important to use this time of year to clean them, and perform any maintenance as required while your gutters are still working as they should be.
Gutter Cleaning
To do their job properly, it's commonly understood that gutters should be free of debris. This ensures that they can effectively carry water that falls on your roof away from your home. Not only can clogged gutters potentially cause damage near the home itself, but improper drainage around your property can create costly problems down the road for your home's foundation, siding, lawn, and more.
Organic Matter Build-Up
The most commonly found gutter clogs are made up of a mass of dirt and dead organic matter, such as tree bark, leaves, and pine needles. When mixed with the strong winds and water levels of a Georgia thunderstorm this can create a muddy, leafy buildup that will prevent water from draining off of your roof properly.
Pest Build-Up
Sometimes, the matter blocking up your gutter flow may be caused by birds or insects. Gutters without mesh guards can sometimes become nesting grounds for birds, whose nests can contribute to organic matter build up. Insects, such as wasps and hornets, can also build nests and hives near gutters, which can also contribute to clogs.
What Can I Do to Prevent Damage?
Aside from regular cleaning, one of the best ways to prevent gutter and property damage is to invest in debris guards. These guards protect your gutters from filling with debris, and can allow water to flow properly all year long. Typically, these are made of plastic or different types of metal, and have small holes or pores to allow water through for drainage. Although they will separate water from debris fairly well, the pores, depending on their size, might still allow dirt through, so a regular check up on them can still benefit your gutter system in the long run. At Trotter Roofing & Gutters, we offer solid aluminum, lifetime clog-free gutter covers. These are the best way to protect your gutter system, if you're interested in a lifetime solution, get in touch with Trotter Roofing & Gutters today.
Gutter Repairs
If clogs in your gutter system are not the cause of your drainage problems, it's likely your gutters are damaged and/or leaking somewhere along the way. When your gutters cannot drain properly, water can pool up and bend your gutters, causing them to crack under the pressure. Strong enough winds can even pull rusty or weak gutters away from your home, causing them to not even touch the base of your roof! Broken gutters lead to standing water and improper drainage near the base of your home, and on your roof – leading to thousands of dollars of damage.
Choosing to perform an annual inspection on your gutters is going to cost you less than potential property damage, if you think you may need gutters repaired, contact Trotter Roofing & Gutters today for a free estimate!