by drose
31. May 2011 12:52
Read this article in your language IT | EN | DE | ES
When is the last time you paid attention to your gutters? If you’re like many homeowners, you ignore them
until something goes wrong. But a little routine maintenance can prevent costly problems like these:
• Clogging. Gutters are designed to catch falling water and debris and redirect it from your house and the foundation. But they can’t do their job when they get clogged up with leaves, branches, and those mysterious things like toys and shoes that were launched upward. You should plan to clean out your gutters once a year (twice if you have a lot of nearby trees). Remove all the debris and then hose them out to get rid of the remaining dirt that could block drainage.
• Sagging or loose gutters. When the fasteners become loose or deteriorated, your gutters will pull away from the house’s façade. It’s a very cheap fix—as opposed to replacing the gutters later. Just get up on the ladder and replace the worn hangers and fasteners.
• Leaking. When gutters leak, the water seeps down to your home’s interior and exterior walls and around the foundation, where it saturates the ground and can cause foundation cracks, erode the landscape, and even warp the doorways and floors. When you notice a leak, even a small one, take the time to patch it up so you can avoid long-term—and costly damage to your home. You can also invest in seamless gutters.
Take a walk around the outside of your house once in awhile, particularly after a rain, to inspect your gutters. Check the foundations and the walls of the house to see if they’re experiencing any damage that could come from faulty gutters. And if you suspect a problem, don’t wait. Spend time now on gutter maintenance or spend money later on fixing your house!
