Why Cleaning Gutters isn't enough

Gutter cleaning is a dirty, dangerous task that must be done in order to maintain your home's fascia and soffit areas, as well as the foundation. Whether you decide to clean the gutters yourself or hire someone, your gutter system will still continue to accumulate debris. Gutter cleaning today is a temporary solution to a persistent problem.

Here are a few reason for cleaning rain gutters and downspouts in Huntsville Alabama. Clogged gutters cause rainwater to back-up and overflow the front and back of the gutters, which causes water damage on the fascia board and soffit boards. In addition, when water overflows the front of the gutters a condition known as "tiger striping" will create dirty looking gutters and the water will also cause major damage to the home's siding as well, especially wood-based and stone-based for façade. Water which flows behind the gutters will also wick-up the raftertails causing water stains on the inside of your home's ceiling and black mold conditions in the hot attic.

Get a free estimate for cleaning gutters today.

HelloGutters charges by the linear footage of the gutter system. The average home in Huntsville has about 125 of gutter, and so that is what we charge to clean single story homes; $125.00. 2nd and 3rd story homes, or homes with more than 125 feet of gutter, may incur additional fees. 

Clogged gutters will also cause water to pool around the foundation causing issues. In addition, when rainwater freezes and expands through the winter months, foundations can crack and shift causing many thousands of dollars in damages. This can be easily prevented by regular gutter maintenance, which includes cleaning and sometimes gutter guards. Consult with a licensed rain gutter inspector to determine which solution best suits your home's environment.

Keep pest from causing major damage. Rodents, birds, and insects will cause havoc in dirty gutters, which is a perfect playground for animals and a pest infestation is the last thing your gutter system needs. Regular gutter maintenance only makes good sense and will save money in the long run by preventing costly repair projects due to clogged or leaking gutters. Get a free gutter inspection today!

65% of all home injuries caused by ladders happen while cleaning gutters, and 18% of those accidents are fatal. Don't become a statistic, stay off the ladder and call a professional to help. Installing the right gutter guards could keep you off the ladders for good. One of the best leaf filtering gutter screens available today in LeafSolution Extreme micro mesh surgical grade steel all aluminum gutter guards.

Once LeafSolution is installed on your home, gutter maintenance becomes a fading memory. LeafSolution provides a proven, tested and permanent solution to the damage caused by unprotected gutters. See how LeafSolution prevents clog-free gutters for life. Get your free gutter inspection and LeafSolution estimate scheduled today.

Maintaining clean gutters is an essential part of your home's health, and there are many approaches to completing this goal. Some folks hop on a ladder with a bucket and commence cleaning. This is not recommended because of the great unknowns. Animals are known to nest in the gutters. Imagine grabbing a snake or a nest of baby squirrels. In addition, the nastiness of dirty gutters is best left to the prepared professional.

Not all gutter systems are created the same! Some gutter systems require more attention than others. Trees around the house are a good indicator of how often the gutters require attention. Lots of trees may be a sign of quarterly cleanings (or gutter guards). No trees in sight may indicate an annual look over, just to ensure the wind has not damaged something. Get a free gutter inspection today.

Gutters should be cleaned and inspected at least once annually, and here's why... almost anything can cause a gutter to shift; high winds, tree limbs, a wayward bird, almost anything can happen to an exposed, opened-top metal box attached to the roof's edge and designed to carry one of the heaviest culprit (WATER) away from the structure. One small shift and now water is getting behind the gutters and onto the fascia board. It only gets worse from here.

We receive calls weekly from customers with water stained ceiling damage. Usually the scenario is something like this: the gutter is blocked (clogged) by something and water has migrated behind the fascia and has wicked-up the raftertails two or three feet and then water droplets have dripped back onto the top of the ceiling causing water stained ceilings, which is never good.

These expensive projects can usually be avoided by simply maintaining a healthy gutter system, which is simple to do, but here is where the old adage, "out of sight out of mind" enters the scenario. Gutters are something we pay little attention to unless they're not working, which is just a reaction to being ignored. We would not ignore an oil change for the car or change the air filter for the home's central air, but that's also because we receive warning lights and notifications that attention is required. We receive no notifications about gutter maintenance and therefore the problem goes unchecked until the problem becomes big enough to be noticed, and by then other parts need repaired and sometimes there is foundational issues requiring tens of thousands of dollars in water damage. Get a free gutter inspection today.

According to International Association of Certified Home inspectors (NACHI), falling off of ladders is more common than one might think. Over 164,000 emergency room related injuries and 300 deaths are reported annually in the United States, with gutter related falls ranking first.

Cleaning gutters requires choreographing several critical activities. Climbing a ladder requires a skill unto itself. Cleaning the gutters requires holding a bucket while scooping leaves and gunk out of the gutters, which is no easy task. Then you must have better than perfect balance.

Cleaning gutters is not to be taken lightly. Just to recap. You'll need at least a sixteen foot ladder to reach the average size twelve foot height gutter system. You'll need to re-position the ladder every four to five feet or whatever your reach distance may be without leaning out over the ladder. Position your body so that the top of the gutter is about chest level so seeing into the gutter is easy. Hold the bucket and the ladder with one hand and using a scoop, remove the debris from the gutter and place into bucket without falling from ladder. Climb back down the ladder, empty the bucket, move the ladder and repeat.

Gutter cleaning cost about a dollar per foot and the average house has less than 200 linear foot of gutter, so once a year cleaning will cost about $200 and is well worth letting a professional clean those nasty gutters. Get a free estimate today.