One of the most overlooked places in your home when it comes to regular maintenance is your gutters. Clogged gutters don’t just cause problems for the gutters themselves, but can also lead to other home-related issues. This can include water getting trapped in areas around your home, it could overflow into your foundation, and may even affect the landscape around your property.
So here are a couple of signs to look out for when it comes to maintaining your gutters.
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Do you always spot pests or animals around your gutters?
Whether it’s rodents like mice and squirrels or smaller pests like insects, it’s a good idea to contact gutter cleaning experts to help you clear out the gutters when they’ve become infested. Not only is this extremely unhygienic, but these pests can eventually create multiple nests around your home and start invading the property itself.
There are stains on your siding
Stained siding is usually a sign that your gutters are overflowing. When your gutters start leaking water, it’ll run down the siding in your home and could start to stain the panels. In some cases, stagnant rainwater can also flow off your roof shingles and end up dripping down the panels too. If you’ve noticed stains on your panels, it’s a good idea to give them a good clean so that rainwater correctly flows away from your home.
Are your gutters starting to sag?
Gutters can start to sag away from the fascia board if they get too heavy because of overflowing water and debris. Luckily, fixing a sagging gutter is fairly easy if you’re willing to get on a ladder and install some brackets. However, it’s often best to just solve the problem at the core problem; overflowing water and debris. Make sure you ask a friend or family member to help if you plan to climb a ladder to fix a sagging gutter. Alternatively, you can speak to an expert to help you clean the gutter and stop it sagging.
You notice plants growing around your gutters
If there’s a surprising amount of foliage around your gutters then there’s a good chance that they’re clogged and are in need of cleaning. This is usually a sign that the problem has been occurring for a long time. Seeds and dirt can quickly make their way into your gutters. Once it piles up and clogs the gutter, it’ll start to encourage plant growth because it has all it needs to survive. This can end up attracting a variety of pests and may spread all across your gutter system and even to your roof.
There are lots of different responsibilities involved when it comes to home maintenance. Commonly-overlooked areas such as gutters can cause major problems unless you start paying more attention to them. We recommend checking them often and hiring an expert if you know that they haven’t been cleaned out for a while, or if there are pressing issues such as a pest infestation that is being caused by clogged gutters.
