Water damage are the last two words any home owner wants to hear. Once water creeps it’s way into your home, you can expect costly repairs and have to worry about keeping water out in the future.
As you take care of your home to prevent water damage, there is one area that is easy to neglect — your rain gutters.
Rain gutters can easily become clogged and filled with twigs from nearby tree branches, leaves in the fall, and a number of other types of debris. When rain gutters get full and clog, water is unable to properly fall and drain from the top of your house to the street or lawn. Water then leaks into your home or roof. If it is not taken care of quickly, you may even be looking at mold and mildew issues!
Rain gutters that are overloaded with debris can also fall off your home, causing more damage. The water is then able to flow into the home and you run the risk of water getting in and near your foundation
To avoid water damage, very costly repairs, and allergies and respiratory issues caused by mold presence, it is important to properly clean your rain gutters.
1. Clean Your Rain Gutters
The easiest way to avoid water damage by properly cleaning your rain gutters is by, you guessed it, cleaning your rain gutters! It’s important to take time consistently throughout the year to clean them out. If you don’t have trees in your yard, twice a year should be often enough to keep them free of any unlikely debris that may have gotten in the gutters.
If your yard has many trees, you’ll need to clean them much more frequently. Pine trees create more of a challenge because the needles fall year-round.
When you clean, pull the leaves out and use a pressure washer to remove anything remaining in the gutter. Don’t forget to include the downspouts in your cleaning efforts!
2. Secure Your Rain Gutters
Once your gutters are clean and clear, you’ll want to regularly check the rivets for damage or rust. Make sure that your rain gutters are properly secured to your home at all times to avoid unnecessary damage. It is especially important to make sure they are properly secured before you begin pressure washing!
3. Tree Removal
If you have many, many trees in your yard, you’ll want to get ahead of them by removing trees that hang over your roof and drop more branches and leaves than you may be able to remove. While tree removal can be expensive, it will be worth it to avoid water damage caused by blocked gutters, and you’ll also get some added sunlight!
If your rain gutters have already become too full and caused water to leak into your home, you’ll want to take care of any flooding or mold issue as soon as possible. RestoreMasters specializes disaster cleanup and restoration. They are small and family-owned which means you’ll get personal attention while your home is restored to the way it should be.
