Does your roof need gutters?
Gutters control the water that hits your roof and direct it into a single flow away from your home. Without gutters, water can pool around your home, seep into your foundation and cause water damage over time.
Gutters can only drain water effectively if they are cleaned regularly – and damaged gutters can cause more damage than not having them at all, as water can build up on the roof.
Why are gutters so important?
Rain gutters protect your home's roof and overall structure and prevent soil erosion and protect your garden beds. Without gutters, rain runs off your roof and washes away soil every time it rains, causing soil erosion. And if you have created garden beds next to your house, soil erosion leads to puddles of water that drown your plants and flowers.
Soil erosion is a serious matter. It can also cause your foundation to settle, resulting in uneven floors, cracked walls and chimney cracks.
When does your roof not need gutters?
It is essential to know that some types of roofs do not need gutters. Roofs with a large overhang direct water away from the house, so your home probably doesn't need gutters. A significant overhang also means installing gutters may be a more complex undertaking. Some places may benefit the house's curb appeal by extending the roof rather than installing gutters. This depends on the aesthetics of the home.
There are also options without gutters to drain rain from the roof, which can be discussed with a roofer.
Rain gutters are usually the invisible workhorses of your home. They perform an essential function by directing rainwater away from your home, but you don't even notice they're there.
If you've never thought about whether your home has a gutter system, it's probably time to look, especially if you're noticing water damage and don't know why.
If you haven't noticed any water problems in your home, you may wonder if gutters are really necessary.
Most homes need a sound gutter system to collect rainwater that falls on the roof and direct it away from the house to prevent damage to your home's structure.
Plus, protect your foundation, driveway, and pavement from water pooling on the sides of your home.
And who wants to clean clogged gutters regularly if they don't have to?
Maintenance of your gutters is also essential.
Maintaining your rain gutters is also essential.
To function correctly, you need to keep the gutters and downspouts clear of leaves and debris, which requires regular maintenance.
You either need to climb up the ladder and do this work yourself or hire a professional gutter cleaning company to do it for you.
As a rule of thumb, you should clean your gutters at least twice a year, but more often if you have many trees hanging over your house or you live in an area with a lot of storms.
If you have concerns about climbing the ladder safely, hiring a professional cleaning company is safest. However, if you want to do it yourself, make sure you have a sturdy ladder and never stand on the top two rungs.
Ways to clean your gutters:
Use a leaf blower or a hose – but make sure you wear safety glasses, a dust mask, and heavy work gloves.
Buy a gutter cleaning kit that you can connect to your leaf blower.
Use a garden trowel or gutter scoop to clean them by hand. For best results, start at the drain near the bottom of the gutter. Tip the leaves into a bucket to dispose of them when you are finished. It is best if the leaves are only slightly damp and not really soaked.
Depending on your needs, gutter guards can be retrofitted to your existing gutter system or fitted to a new guttering system.
The instructions are relatively easy to follow, so you can easily install it yourself, but any local gutter company can also do it.
Note that they will still need to be inspected occasionally to ensure no silt or sludge has not built up under the gutter guards in the guttering
Think you need new gutters?
Gutters come in both DIY and professionally installed varieties. DIY gutter systems made of vinyl, sheet metal and aluminium are available at any hardware store so that you can install the gutters yourself.
However, you can also hire a professional gutter company to do the installation for you.
If you choose to build your own, metal gutter systems are the most popular and are easy to find at any hardware store.
If you want gutters in a specific colour, aluminium gutters are the best choice because they come in over 25 colours.
Another option is to use galvanised sheet metal. It is much more durable than aluminium, which is an advantage, but would need to be painted in the desired colour.
There are also gutter systems made of wood for older, historic houses, but these are no longer used very often.
If you choose to have your gutter system professionally installed, one of the choices you have is self-cleaning gutters, which prevent water from leaking out of the seams.
These systems require less maintenance and are a fantastic option.
Read more about our Central Coast Roofing company here and how we can help you!
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