Summer can be a rainy season or a dry season in the Mid-Atlantic. While gutter cleaning may not be front-of-mind during summer, it is important to make sure your gutters are cleaned out and prepared for the coming weather, whether it’s stormy, windy, or humid.
By the end of spring, your gutters will likely be clogged up with natural debris, ragweed, pollen, sticks, and more that has fallen from trees. Summer gutter cleaning is critical preventative maintenance for any home. Read on for five reasons to have your gutters cleaned for summer.
1. Spring Cleaning
While you likely had your gutter system cleaned between the winter and spring seasons, it is most definitely in need of another cleaning due to typical spring weather. Spring showers may have filled up your gutter system with rainwater and other environmental debris that must be removed for ideal functioning.
In Maryland, pollen, ragweed, mold, dust mites, and more can cause uncomfortable-to-severe allergic reactions, and letting them build up outside your home could cause you and your family increased irritation. This is on top of the hazards associated with letting these materials bog down your gutters.
Early summer gutter cleaning is the best way to ensure your gutters are clear and unobstructed and ready to direct water away from your house
2. Prevention of Pests
Plant debris and dirt are not the only things that tend to thrive in clogged gutters. A variety of pests, such as mice, rats, squirrels, birds, bees, mosquitoes, and roaches, seek out cool, dank environments such as clogged gutters for shelter. Sometimes, these pests will even create their nests and breed in gutters, leading to even more of a problem. Allowing for these gutter conditions can lead to an infestation issue, especially during summer, when pests are at their highest activity levels.
In the Mid-Atlantic, warm, humid weather often gives way to fruit flies, gnats, and other pests. Some of these pests even carry disease, and large amounts of them living on your home is never a good thing. It is best to make sure your gutters are clean and clear to prevent any pests from making a home, being a nuisance, and even accessing the inside of your home if there are any cracks.
3. Protect Your Roof
Rooftops are often built with a slant leading to the gutters. This directs rainfall down the roof and into the gutters to keep it from damaging the roof. When gutters are clogged, water will pool around the roof edges. When water pools on the roof shingles, it can seep between the cracks and loosen the shingles’ hold. Over time, shingles may fall off, and the underlayment may become damaged. The roof can even develop holes where water damage is severe.
Get ahead of heavy summer rainfalls by keeping your gutters clean and unclogged all summer long. For the best results, you may want to have your gutters cleaned early and late in the summer. If there is a significant weather event, like a bad heat storm with lots of wind and flooding, call Nick Rivers, and our Maryland gutter cleaning specialists will come take a look and make sure your gutters are undamaged and unclogged.
4. Reduced Risk of Foundation Damage
Water around the base of your home can cause foundation damage and interfere with landscaping. The foundation is below the ground and is made of wood or cement. Your gutters’ downspout diverts water away from the foundation. This is because it can make its way underground and cause the foundation to swell, shift, and crack. Even a small crack caused by water exposure will grow larger and deeper across time.
A cracked foundation is a costly problem that jeopardizes the structural integrity of your entire home. If your foundation is jeopardized, your entire home could need repair. Foundation issues can cause issues with windows, doors, floors, mold, dry rot, infestation, and more. Prevent foundation damage by keeping your gutters clean during the summer and all-year round.
If you are not sure when you should have your gutters cleaned in each season, reach out to Nick Rivers. Our Howard County and Anne Arundel County gutter cleaning technicians can help you create a schedule.
5. Preparation for Fall
Late summer is the best time to get your gutters ready for the heavy amount of leaves and other debris that will clog them up during the fall season. As the trees start to shed their leaves, it becomes impossible to keep them out of gutters. In Maryland, it might even start to snow or get icy as early as October. Ragweed grows wild across the region and is a major source of pollen. All of these conditions lead to a heavy, clogged up gutter system. Clogged gutters cannot do their job of directing water away from your home efficiently.
Be sure to have your gutters cleaned towards the end of summer to clear out the last few months’ worth of debris. The cleaner your gutters are, the better. Once the leaves start falling, you can rest assured your gutter system will be ready.
Contact Us
If you are in need of quality gutter cleaning in Howard County and Anne Arundel County, contact Nick Rivers today. We offer a range of gutter services, including gutter repair and installation, in addition to comprehensive gutter cleaning. Call 443-336-7278 or send us an email for an appointment today.