Cleaning gutters is a nasty chore that usually gets put off for days, weeks, months, and years. You might rather watch the game, dont feel like getting up on the ladder, or maybe you don’t have the right ladder, or even a safe one.
Forgetting or refusing to maintain your gutters properly will eventually cause a gutter clog and result in gutter system failures. If and when a gutter system fails it can cause damage to your home such as: Wood rot, landscape erosion, roof and gutter damage, pest and critter infestations, and that is just to start. The problems get worse if the air temperature is below freezing.
Routine gutter cleaning and maintenance should be performed 1-4 times per year depending on the surrounding landscape and tree cover. The more trees and type of foliage closer to the house the more often gutters should be cleaned. At a minimum gutter maintenance should be planned during the fall season after most trees have shed for the winter and before the rainy season. We recommend October/November.
Its not only trees that clog Rain Gutters |
Rule of thumb:
- No trees within 50 feet 1 cleaning per year (Fall)
- 1-2 trees within 50 feet 2 cleanings (Spring, Fall)
- 3-4 trees within 100 feet 3 cleaning (Spring, Summer, Fall)
- More than 4 trees within 100 ft 4 cleanings per year (Spring Summer, Early Fall, Early Winter)