Common Gutter Maintenance Mistakes | Billy.com
Keeping your home’s gutters clean is an essential part of homeownership that you can’t afford to ignore. Many leaks and mold issues in a home originate from a faulty or unclean gutter system. Before you try to clean the gutters out by yourself, learn these common gutter maintenance mistakes to avoid. You might save yourself from an injury!
Not Cleaning Your Gutters Enough
If you live near dense foliage that constantly fills up the gutters, you’ll need to clean them out more often than a home in an arid climate.
Start cleaning them out after fall and during spring. Autumn is the time of the year where all the leaves start falling off the trees; while many will make their way to the ground, some will fall onto your roof and into your gutters. If these clogs remain in your drainage system until winter, you may have to deal with harmful ice dams once the freezing temperatures and snow arrive.
Spring is the time of the year when animals come out to nest and breed—you don’t want your gutters to become a source of animal nesting material, or worse, a den. Cleaning your gutters before these critical times will save you from an extra headache and save your home from damage.
Placing Your Ladder Against the Gutters
Your gutters aren’t sturdy enough to support your weight or the weight of your ladder. If you’re inspecting your own gutters, remember to avoid leaning the ladder on the gutters—always lean it against a wall, or use a standing ladder. Make sure someone is there to spot you from the ground and ensure that the ladder is steady at all times. Never stand on the top step of the ladder.
Doing Gutter Maintenance on Your Own
Cleaning your gutters is an important task on its own, and so is maintaining them. Leave this home project to the professionals to ensure that the gutters are fully functional. If you attempt to clean or maintain the gutters on your own, you may cause more damage than you realize—especially if you make any other common gutter maintenance mistakes.
