Rain gutters on a home serve an important purpose. They redirect large volumes of rain water and snow melt flowing off a roof to an area where the water will not drain or pool against the homes foundation and possibly cause basement leaks or foundation collapses.
External water pressure pushing against a foundation or basement wall is known as hydrostatic pressure. This pooling of water pushing against your foundation can cause it to crack or collapse. All of this happens below ground level so you might not even be aware of the pressure until it’s too late.
Early signs of hydrostatic pressure are foundation cracks, water in your basement, efflorescence (white powder) on the block walls of your basement. These are sure signs you have a problem.
Clogged rain gutters or gutters that are broken, leaking or misdirected can be a major contributor to hydrostatic pressure.
Neglecting to clean the gutter interiors and the downspouts can result in other issues like water flowing back into the soffits and causing rot and mold in the homes walls and ice damming.
Ice damming is when the debris in the gutter freezes and causes a dam. As the sun and internal home temperatures warm the underside of the shingles, melting snow on the roof turns into water and the flow moves down the roof, hitting the dam and then up and under the shingles causing roof leaks.
Cleaning debris from gutters is a relatively easy task but involves working at heights and the possibility of a fatal fall from a ladder or roof. It can be a pretty risky DIY project.
There are several methods of cleaning gutter interiors and the cost varies with each one.
They can be cleaned by ladder and the debris scooped out by hand or with a small trowel or shovel and the debris place in a bag or bucket.
A leaf blower can be used to blow out the debris and the debris can be cleaned up when the lawn is maintained. The debris has to be dry, not frozen and not packed into the gutters for this to work.
A power washer can be a useful tool for cleaning gutters that are really packed tight and have weeds and moss in them. Blowing out the debris with a power washer is fast but can make a mess on the ground. That would require clean up after it dries.
On the east coast it is recommended that gutter cleaning should be performed twice per year at a minimum. The optimum times are June after the pollen falls and December after the leaves fall.
Removing debris from gutters is a regular part of home maintenance and very affordable. Although pricing will vary based on how many linear feet of gutter you have on your home, height of the gutters, access and topography you can expect to pay between $99 and $450 per cleaning. With twice a year cleaning this breaks down to 50 cent to 2.50 per day. That’s a small investment to make sure your home is safe and avoid major repairs.
If you’d like a free no obligation consultation with one of our friendly Customer Care Specialist please feel free to give us a call at 732-775-1242.
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