Your home is one of the greatest investments you have made in life. Everyone knows that maintaining a home in excellent condition requires effort. One of the necessary tasks that every homeowner should frequently undertake is cleaning gutters. Gutters play a significant role in protecting your home as well as other areas such as the roof and foundation. As such, gutter cleaning and maintenance should be taken seriously because gutters are prone to clogs that result from twigs and leaves.
Unfortunately, most people often forget to regularly clean their gutters, which results in clogging. They realize it after the gutters have clogged and caused problems. Clogged gutters can cause several severe issues in your home. You need to know some of the dangers that clogged gutters pose to your home and its residents so that you don’t overlook the importance of regular gutter cleaning.
Clogged gutters cause roof damage
Fully functional rain gutters in Utah are crucial for a functional roof. Roofs can perform their tasks of protecting your house and its residents from the elements, but they cannot do that if the gutter system is clogged. Clogged gutters pose a high risk of water pooling on roofs since they cannot divert water away or allow it to flow. Consequently, the pooling water leads to rotting, cracks, and damage on the roof. Leaks and the rotting of roofs cause costly repairs and health hazards.
Foundation damage
The gutter system is designed to drive water away from your home. As such, clogged gutters do not allow water to flow through them, which means that the water pours over unexpected places. When rain falls directly in one area of your home over a long time, it causes damage to the foundation, pathways, patios, and landscaping. Surprisingly, a simple thing such as cleaning your gutters can prevent clogging and consequently protect your home’s foundation.
Basement flooding
The other risk that clogged gutters cause is basement flooding. Notably, it is a serious issue that has the potential of causing safety dangers such as electrical shocks and gas leaks when the water reaches the wiring system. Also, the cost of repairing the effects of basement flooding is often high. As such, you should avoid the costly repairs by cleaning your gutters regularly to prevent clogging.
Fire hazards
Most people don’t know this, but clogged gutters can be a fire hazard. The risk does not often happen, but it is a possible danger of clogged gutters. The accumulation of debris such as branches and leaves in your gutters pose the risk of fire, more so during hot and dry weather in dry areas. Besides, water that seeps into the basement from the clogged gutters can cause electrical fires when it reaches the electrical wiring.
Clogged gutters are something you wouldn’t want to be on your priority list. Considering the extent of damage and dangers that the clogged gutters pose to your home, it is wise to keep them free of debris and other unwanted materials. You need to hire a gutter inspection and cleaning expert to keep them clean and evade these risks.