We know autumn is near when the colour of the leaves change and the trees begin to shed their foliage. The leaves are a sign to take out our fuzzy sweaters, warmers and blankets from the close and wrap up warm inside.
However, the arrival of autumn also means it’s time to take care of one of the most crucial aspects of cleaning your home — drain pipes and gutters. The fallen leaves jam-pack gutters and can cause water clogging. During the winter, this forms ice and causes cracks in drain pipes. This is because when water turns to ice, it also expands in shape, requiring more room than in its liquid state.
Even if the sound of cleaning gutters doesn’t excite you, it’s an essential chore you need to do for your home. Besides avoiding the trouble of clogging, cleaning your gutters can also save you a lot of money on costly repairs — money you could use to enjoy other things instead.
Still not convinced? Here's a quick look at eight of the most important reasons you should clean your gutters every autumn.
1. Preventing holes and leaks
One cannot miss the signs of the fall season in New Zealand. There’s a certain crispness to the air, which feels cooler on our skin. The tree leaves undergo a transformation in colour. It's undoubtedly a beautiful sight, but it also requires much work. Soon those leaves will start falling off the trees and eventually turn up in our gutters.
As long as they’re still dry, the leaves won’t cause much harm. But the first few series of Christchurch showers will cause clogging issues if not dealt with in time.
If your gutters are filled with leaves, rainwater cannot pass through the drain correctly. When this happens, your gutters will overflow, and the water could damage your walls, soffits, fascia, siding, basement or even your foundation.
If water does get stuck in your gutters, the debris and water can start to accumulate, leading to holes and leaks. You may have to do a lot of fixing or have new gutters installed. Or, you can skip this step and hire a residential power washing service in Christchurch.
2. Protecting your home’s foundation
Gutters were created to help channel the rainwater away from your property. Without proper-functioning gutters, all of the water that slides off your roof would land directly alongside your home, battering the ground and causing erosion. This can spell disaster for your foundation if left unchecked over time.
3. Preventing pest infestation
If those fallen leaves entrap your gutters, very soon, you’ll see packs of accumulated water within your home’s periphery.
Insects, like mosquitoes and harmful disease-causing organisms, thrive within gutters clogged with dead leaves and debris. Before you know it, your yard will become a breeding ground for insects and bacteria, which can cause sickness if allowed to enter the drinking supply.
Want to avoid this situation? Clear your gutters as soon as you can by hiring a residential power washing service in Christchurch.
4. Stopping water from damaging your home
Water will find other ways to escape when clogs prevent your gutters from draining properly. This may damage your home's exterior and interior owing to the overflowing water. Such scenarios can make your home's basement or attic vulnerable to flooding.
5. Keep your roof protected
Your roof has the responsibility of protecting your home, keeping it untouched from the adversities of weather change. If it gets broken, it can cause problems, which will attract costly repairs. For instance, if your drain pipes are filled with debris or fallen leaves, it’ll cause water to overflow and accumulate on the roof. This will start forming mould and rotting the sensitive particles in the roof.
6. Adding to your gutter lifespan
Simply put, taking care of your gutters makes them last longer and less likely to need immediate repair. Well-maintained gutters can last between 20 and 50 years, and a downpipe may last between 30 and 100 years. So if you don't have to, why change them? Don't spend unnecessary money by ensuring your gutters are ready for the new season and any season.
7. On-going maintenance for healthy gutters
As you might have guessed, replacing gutters comes at a great cost. This is why it's crucial to keep them well-maintained in the first place. You’ll only end up saving more in the long run if you shelve out a little bit of cash now.
How often you need to clear your gutters depends on your area. Say your house is in a neighbourhood without many trees; you might need just to clean them once a year since there are fewer chances of them accumulating too many or getting leaves stuck in your drain pipes or gutters.
8. When winter is around the corner
Even after the leaves fall off the trees, there’s still a chance that the gutters will get clogged. If you don't clean out your eavestroughs before winter, the water and debris in them can freeze when the temperature drops. When it's frozen, water from melting snow has nowhere to go. It can seep through your roof and cause water damage.
When the water and debris freeze over, they get heavier, which could cause the gutters to sag. The extra weight can cause the hardware that holds the gutters to the house to pull away or even become completely loose. This may lead to the gutters falling off completely, whereupon they’ll need to be replaced immediately.
If you want your gutters to last for a long time, you should keep up with their regular maintenance. This rule holds true as with the other structures in and outside your home or workplace. No matter where you live, fall is the best time to clean these gutters. So make sure to put cleaning gutters on your list of things to do this season.
How The Washdown King can help
We can clean out your gutters while we are power washing your tile or long-run roof. If you clean out your gutters on a regular basis, you can make your roof last longer, stop pests from making nests in them, and stop water damage from rain that has nowhere else to go.
Contact us right away if you need help with your annual gutter maintenance or other residential power washing services in Christchurch.