Key Takeaways:
- An effective gutter system is essential for a roof’s overall health & integrity.
- Recognizing gutter damage requires a professional inspection.
- Leaks, mildew, and sagging gutters are often the first warning signs of gutter damage.
- DIY gutter cleaning is risky because of the lack of safety, information, and tool use.
- RKG Roofing & Construction are expert roofers in Fort Worth, TX, and offer services that reinvent your home without hurting the back. We finance!
You keep hearing the age-old reminder – a roof is the most crucial aspect of your home – but in this reminder, roof gutters and gutter damage usually take a backseat. Here’s the news: gutter maintenance keeps your home’s exterior walls standing without rotting within.
When cleaning your house’s gutters, sure signs help identify the roof’s health & relevant gutter issues. And, as one tends to the repairs needed, care is required to avoid inevitable DIY mistakes that can result in a costlier replacement.
In this blog post, RKG Roofing & Construction, a professional roofing contractor in Fort Worth, TX, will brief you on signs of damage to roof gutters, how not to maintain gutters, and how to maintain gutters!
The Gutter Damage Checklist
The Paint Is Peeling.
Your gutter’s paint should be able to endure typical wear and tear from the seasons, including snow and crunchy leaves. However, suppose your gutters have peeling paint or orange flecks indicating standing water over time. In that case, this shows that they are old.
It also means the water is not draining as it is used to, hence the need to replace them.
There Are Cracks.
Small cracks in your roof gutters might not seem like much if they are repaired quickly. Still, they will become bigger until the imperfection damages the fascia boards. The leaks can also damage the shingles under the gutter and the below residential foundation.
Mildew & Moldy Pools
Gutters & downspouts must be kept clean to prolong their function & life. They should drain roof water away instead of collecting it in stagnant pools.
One way to spot gutter damage is to inspect the exterior of your house for mildewed spots and mold on the exteriors – especially around the downspouts and the foundation wall. That also indicates a gutter clog, and the subsequent leaks can damage the foundation.
Sagging Gutters
It’s the easiest damage to spot because the gutter channels stick out like a sore thumb. Sagging or diversion is because of the weight of the pooled water in the gutters. It means your roof drainage needs an overhaul. You will also spot rust and missing fasteners in gutters sagging away from the residence’s exteriors.
Water Marks Under the Gutters
Roof gutters are held together by an airtight seal. The first sign of gutter damage indicating an issue with the seals is that you notice water marks. The seal lets the water drip, and it’s also possible that your gutter is too shallow to control an overflow. The leak can cost you your soffit & fascia.
DIY Gutter Cleaning Mistakes
If you read the above signs of gutter damage & think you can maintain one by yourself, then remember, you can make mistakes that will cost you even more in the immediate run!
So, please take it as a disclaimer that DIY tactics can undermine what a professional can nail with a thorough inspection & tools.
Irregular Cleaning
When a roofing contractor is committed to you, you are guaranteed regular repairs & inspections to keep your roof in order at a fraction of a DIY project. Homeowners can quickly get inundated with their daily routine and slack on picking leaves & algae from their gutters. So, that’s the first sin in DIY self-promises.
Using A Pressure Washer
Folks think anything that shoots water at the speed of bullets can shine up their home’s exteriors just as well. WRONG. Too much pressure can damage vinyl gutters – that’s for sure.
The Wrong Time of The Year
So, another sin is to go DIY gutter cleaning right after a storm and then forget them altogether. It should be the other way round to prevent gutter damage. Instead, it’s wiser to clean the gutter before the storm or rainy season approaches so that you can reinforce the gutter’s fasteners to protect against damage.
Wrong PPE
Oh great, so you think a vest, dungarees, and bare hands are ideal for gutter cleaning Saturday? Wrong!
Dirty gutters can harbor mosquitoes, germs, larvae, and even brain-eating amoeba that can easily pass your skin and break into your bloodstream. Yes, all that is from a gutter soup of old rotting leaves you just removed barehandedly.
If it were a roofing professional doing that, they would be dressed head to toe in protective clothing and would tell you to keep your distance too.
Using The Wrong Tools
While it’s all good to remove leaves & gutter algae with gloved hands, it can be too much for some. You can even use prongs to lift heavy debris. Still, some homeowners have those fancy vacuums with a gutter cleaning attachment or a power washer they know how to use in a gutter. However, you should call in the roof cleaning experts if you can’t operate either tool right.
What’s the Biggest DIY Gutter Cleaning Risk?
We knew you’d be wondering why we’re hammering our professional services home too hard, so here’s a justification.
Did you know that yearly in the USA, around 164,000 ER incidents and over 300 deaths occur because of falling off a moveable ladder that is usually 10ft in height? Supporting arguments are gutter/roof cleaning activities combined with improper use, a defective ladder, or simply carelessness.
You can count on the brain-eating amoeba right next!
Hiring a professional for gutter maintenance is cost-effective and feasible. Trusting a roofing contractor that offers outstanding services and provides opportunities for roofing talent is safer!
Roof Gutter Maintenance Tips
- Schedule at least two inspections annually to keep your gutters & roofs in check.
- Get your local roofing contractors to procure you & install gutter guards to keep leaves out of the gutter channels.
- If your gutters were fastened with gutter spikes, you best call a professional roofing contractor and have gutter screws used instead.
- For patching emergency gutter leaks, you can use silicon sealant & a caulking gun to dispense enough sealer to stem the flow.
- If there are clogs in the downspout that is not giving in to a plumber wire, then abandon your attempts & call in a professional.
Let Roofing Professionals in Fort Worth Do The Job!
Suppose you have a decrepit roof and gutter that can do with a ‘brush-me-up’ on par with the rest of your home’s beauty. In that case, RKG Roofing & Construction, serving Fort Worth, TX, are your best bet for a safe gutter cleanup.
We also deal in solar upgrades, remodels, & residential restorations across the region. You can get in touch with us for free estimates on our services, and we guarantee a quality gutter cleaning job!
