As a homeowner maintaining clean gutters is essential. Debris from leaves, pine cones, seeds and shingles collect in your gutters and impede the flow of water to your downspouts. Over time standing water in your gutter, along with the debris that is preventing water flow, corrodes gutters from the inside, breaks down caulking in seams, and causes leaks. Over a long period of time serious damage can occur where leaks destroy foundation or penetrate into the home through exterior walls.
how often should i clean my gutters?
That depends!
Do you have mature trees in your yard that are above your roofline? If so, what type of trees are they?
Some trees like maple leaf trees shed their leaves in the fall. The best time to clean your gutters if you have these type of trees is late in the fall once all the leaves have fallen, or early in the spring.
If you have pine trees that have a lot of pine cones or trees that give off a lot of seeds, then you may want to clean your gutters in the spring and the fall.
If you do not have any mature trees, then you may want to clean your gutters every 2 years to remove shingle debris. Wind and rain cause shingles to give up their grit over time. This grit forms sand bars in your gutters that turns to mud when it rains and impedes water flow. Over time, the gutters corrode.
If you have just installed new roof shingles, you may want to have your gutters cleaned. Roofers tend to leave large chunks of shingle debris in gutters, along with a large quantity of nails.