Why is Gutter, Valley & Downspout Cleaning so Important?

Orlando Gutter Cleaning

What is a gutter and what does it do for your home?

Your gutters play a very important part in the upkeep of your home. A series of narrow channels and troughs that are a part of your roofing system, they funnel water down the downspout to help to divert rainwater away from the base of your home. This may sound unimportant but what this means is that they help to reduce erosion, they prevent leaks from happening in your basement, attic, or crawlspaces, protecting both your interior and exterior painted or stained surfaces and preventing them from being exposed to excessive amounts of water.

Your gutters also prevent water from going over the edge of your roof. This can reduce the amount of moisture around your home, directing it straight in to the ground. Everyone has had the experience of rushing in to a home because water is pouring off of the roof in sheets. It’s not pleasant. Proper maintenance of your gutter system, or regular gutter cleaning, can help to keep that from happening. The lack of rain falling from the roof also serves to keep your home free of dirt at the foundation as well as moss, algae, and slime by keeping it dry.

What can happen if you don’t clean your gutters?

Though cleaning your gutters can be something of a hassle, it is something that has to be done. I have a minimum amount of gutters on my own personal home, but because I have trees, they need cleaned out 2 or 3 times a year. It should be ranked up there with other household chores like changing the batteries in your fire detectors, but people often overlook it. Mainly because its out of site for the most part. But not for us. When we clean your roof its right in our sight. And obvious when it has not been done in a while. We not only clean out the gutters, we run a high power stream of water down the spouts to make sure they have not clogged up where we can’t see them. Its what set us apart from the rest.

If your gutters, valleys and downspouts are not cleaned regularly, leaves, oak blooms and berries as well as small twigs will dam the water flow and cause major blockage. We often pull weeds and vines out of gutters and their whole root systems form a matt in the gutter. With your gutters full of everything but rain, when it does rain the rain has nowhere to go. It will sit stagnant in your gutters, along with all the other debris.

This stale water sits on your roof, and in your gutters and never fully dries out. Simply put More moisture means more problems. It now becomes a breeding ground for bugs and insects. As more is added the next time it rains, it just continues to deteriorate the roof system of your house. This water build up can lead to the surface and eventually interior erosion of your roof. This causes leaks in the interior of your home which if not caught in time can become quite costly. Roof damage costs a lot of money in the long run.

Stagnant water sitting on your roof is a prime breeding ground for mosquitos and other bothersome bugs. It can allow for spores in the air to attach to your roof and begin growing. With the ample sunlight a roof provides, and plenty of stagnant water, your roof will be covered in moss and algae in no time. This can cause issue for anyone in your home that has allergies. These growths can cause staining on the roof and the walls of your home, as can the water when it really begins to leak from build-up.

How do I get my gutters clean?

Very carefully. Seriously, it’s not only right up there on the dirtiest jobs list, but it’s also very dangerous if your not used to traversing a roof. Reaching forward down in a gutter while already standing at an angle equal to the pitch of the roof is not for the meek, or the untrained. So the easiest, safest and least time consuming way to go about a gutter cleaning is to of course call the professionals at A-1 Quality Roof Cleaning and Restoration who clean gutters for a living. We know what we are doing, and we take the proper precautions necessary to do it safely. We also have the proper equipment to get it done right. It’s important for homeowners to know that if gutter, valley and downspout cleaning is not done regularly, the process can be very challenging and take a bit of time to do right. And, if its not done 100%, its not worth doing at all.

Made of vinyl, aluminum, copper, and steel, gutters are usually easily repaired once they are cleaned out and the excessive weight is off the supports. A lot of times they are sagging and not draining properly because of the additional weight of water and debris. But can be reattaced easily most of the time. But obviously if you want to keep them in their best shape and avoid repairs, regular cleaning is necessary. Gutter cleaning is also not too expensive. There are many methods employed for gutter cleaning. This includes everything from hoses and nozzles, to shop vacs and scoops or good old cleaning by hand.

As professionals, we are insured so being up on the roof or a ladder provides less of an issue than it might for the regular homeowner. We’ve also got all the tools and materials to protect ourselves and your gutters. We don’t just clean and clear clogs, but check the workability of all the pieces, seal all the leaks, and flush the system when we are done to make sure everything is back in working order.

How can I protect my gutters in between cleanings?

There are a few ways improve the functionality of your gutters work hard while at the same time working to prevent all the extra buildup. For example, you could replace that old rectangular downspout with a circular one. Round downspouts can drain water more efficiently. But that being said, do note that there is no way to complete eliminate the need for cleaning.

There are ways to prevent a lot of debris from getting in to your gutters as well. Gutters with curved lips or channel water in to a narrow slot that most debris cannot fit in to. Debris stoppers made of stainless steel screens are made to fit on top of your gutters that allow the water in but don’t allow larger debris and leaves in work to a certain degree. Although, they need to be swept from time to time. Leaf barriers, which A-1 Quality Roof Cleaning and Restoration can professionally install and clean, stop most leaves and the like from getting in to your gutters in the first place.

If all of that seems overwhelming, don’t worry. It’s just to show you that there are a lot of options when it comes to easy maintenance of your gutter system. Our gutter cleaning experts can help you figure out which of these systems will work the best for you, depending on your gutter style and the surroundings of your home.

So that’s why it’s important to clean my gutters?

Yeah, it’s kind of a big deal. Treat your gutters right and they’ll take care of your home for you. It’s that simple. When you only need to have a gutter cleaning two times a year and it’s something you can easily have a competent professional do for you, why forget? Forgetting can be costly and cause all kinds of problems, while getting it done ahead of time saves you money and saves your gutters from the that Florida weather. The choice is easy. Pick up the phone and call A1 Quality Roofing and Restoration today. We’ll answer your questions.

Make sure you hire a roof cleaning company and not just a guy who cleans roofs.

To get a free gutter, valley & downspout cleaning estimate, contact us online here or call us directly at 407.877.3210.