There are few things in the world people think about less than their gutters. It’s not like they’re a really obvious, noticeable part of the house. Generally you see your lawn that needs to be mowed, or the front door that needs to finish being painted. Bigger things generally grab and require your attention.
So your gutters get neglected.
Think about it – your gutters just went through that unseasonably wet and cold winter, just like you did. And chances are that you didn’t actually end up getting all of those leaves cleared out before the snow came, right? So you let your gutters hold month’s worth of wet, heavy, and frozen leaves and dirt for the duration of the winter. Am I right? I thought so. So maybe I should give you an awesome bullet point list for why you need to keep your gutters clean.
Why You Need to Keep Your Gutters Clean
So now that you feel awful about the way you’ve treated your gutters, what are you going to do? Good answer. Clean them. Make sure you maintain your gutters. Many people don’t realize the importance of gutter maintenance, but poorly-maintained gutters can lead to all sorts of problems, such as:
- Foundation problems – gutters that don’t do their job poor gallons of water right at the foundation of your home.
- Landscape problems – if the gutter is dumping water everywhere, there’s a great chance that all of that hard work you did to make your garden nice and pretty will be for nothing; the excess water can easily wash away landscaping.
- Undermined driveways, patios, and sidewalks. Excess water can erode the soil underneath driveways, patios, and sidewalks, which can lead to small cracks, settling, or complete collapse.
- Damaged fascia, soffit, or outside wall. Leaky or poorly-installed gutters can damage a house’s structural integrity by allowing water to penetrate the fascia, soffit, or actual framing of the house.
- Provide a home for termites. You probably didn’t think about termites when I mentioned your gutters, did you? Termites are nasty little guys that really thrive off of moist, wet conditions – just like those provided by your leaky gutter that’s spilling into your attic. Hello, termite colony!
I know, it’s a lot to take in, but just breathe. So now that you know all of the risks associated with neglecting your gutters, what are you going to do? Correct. You’re going to replace them with top-of-the-line aluminum rain gutters.
How to Keep Your Gutters Clean
Aluminum, you say? Absolutely. There are a lot of pretty wonderful things about an aluminum rain gutter.
- Aluminum is an extremely durable material that won’t corrode or rust away. That’ll come in handy during the wet months, right?
- I know, pumpkin. Aluminum isn’t exactly the most chic-looking thing on the planet, but aluminum can be painted. So that beautiful color scheme you’ve got going on your house doesn’t have to be ruined because you put in new gutters.
- Seamless aluminum gutters are much more effective. Without seams, there is a lesser chance of leaks in the gutters. Brilliant, right?
- Because aluminum is light and easy to install, it doesn’t require any kind of special structure.
- Aluminum is cost-effective. Yep, it’s pretty darn affordable.
So now that you’ve realized just how much you need new gutters, why don’t you get out there and buy some top-of-the-line (but totally affordable and practical) aluminum gutters? Right, I don’t know why you wouldn’t either.
Ginger Price writes home and home maintenance articles, and works closely with home maintenance specialists to show everyone how awesome Utah rain gutters can be.
