Fall leaves, drifting in hues of red, gold, and orange. Leaves that make that sweet crunch under your feet as you’re bundled up against the autumn breezes.
Wait a minute… it’s spring, and it’s Florida. Why are we talking about fall, especially fall in places that are DEFINITELY not here (bundle up? No thanks, not even in autumn!).
We conjure this imagery because autumn is the exact time of year that your mind needs to be on your gutters in most other places in the country. In those areas of the United States, leaves and debris spend their fall time clogging up the gutters and wreaking havoc on drainage systems.
Here in Florida, we don’t exactly experience fall like the rest of the country, though. Most of our trees don’t start to cause issues for us until the springtime and early summer, when the rains and winds start, blowing the debris exactly where you don’t want it.
When this happens, it’s time to get your mind in the gutter! Let’s take a look at the pitfalls of a clogged and bogged down gutter.
Just Say No – to Water Damaged Walls
When the liquid sunshine famous to our Sunshine State throughout the spring and summer starts to come in gales, it gives our landscaping so much of what it needs – natural irrigation. However, there are some not-so-great things it can do too.
Moisture on many surfaces tends to stick and even penetrate. The entire point of any drainage system, which is essentially what gutters are, is to divert water away from an unwanted area. Gutter goals include keeping it away from your walls where it can sink in and cause loads of trouble: damage that gets so internal that it never goes away.
Raise the Roof(‘s Value)
Have you ever had your roof replaced or known someone who has? You likely have heard the horror stories of how costly and difficult a roof replacement is. As some dangers are entirely outside your control that are a risk to your roof, do your best to control the ones you can.
Since your gutter system and roof are tied together, a failure in the system can do some severe damage to your roof. Let’s face it, having your roof in good shape is probably one of the most valuable things you can do for your home.
Negate the Nests
Small critters, pests, insects, creepy crawlies, whatever other name you like to give those you would like to vacate your space, love building their homes in out-of-the-way spaces. This allows them to hide until they are good and ready to bug you.
A really popular place for them to build their hideouts is in a nice bed of debris, tucked quietly and fully in your gutter system. There they can remain out of sight, out of mind, only ready to come out and drive you crazy when they want to.
However, if there is not a comfy and cozy bed of leaves for them to make their homes in, they will find another premium piece of property for them to do so. Clean gutters make pests seek out new horizons.
Strength in Foundation
In many cases, the phrase, let’s start from the top works well. This is not the case in the construction and functionality of a home and its landscaping – it’s more of from the bottom-up approach. As important as the roof is, your home would be nothing without its foundation.
The foundation is designed to support the entirety of the home, keeping it from crumbling down. It’s not meant to be waterlogged, and there are definitive protections in place to keep that from happening.
Your gutter system is one of those safeguards. If that fails, water cascading down the sides will surely make its way down to the base of the home and into the foundation – causing damage that is catastrophic for the home.
It’s actually quite impressive to think that leaves and debris could be the downfall of a beautiful home – but that doesn’t make it any less true. Making sure your systems that concentrate on proper drainages, like your gutter system, is integral to the safety of your home.
Love Your Landscape
Your landscape thrives with the right amounts of nutrients, sunlight, and water – keywords there: the right amounts. Your plants, flowers, and grass need all the life that water brings them to thrive and grow – but you know what they say about too much of a good thing.
When a gutter system is not functioning, it causes runoff of water into areas not designed to handle it: waterfalls of unclean, debris-filled H2O cascading in damaging amounts to your greenery below. Some gutter systems are designed for recycling the water it receives to feed the landscape surrounding your home. However, when systems like it clog up, a healthy amount of water isn’t received.
It’s All About the Cha-Ching
Ensuring your gutter system is working properly will cost you time and money in your planning of routine maintenance. However, all of the downfalls of a dysfunctional gutter system that we mentioned are so much more costly.
Having to replace a roof or walls, do full foundation work, replace landscaping features, and many more issues are all much more costly in the long run. Not to mention the fact that if there is damage to these that do not get taken care of, your property value can plummet. Simply from clumps of leaves!
Experience the Expertise
The project that is gutter cleaning may sound fairly easy, right? Simply put? No. Cleaning out the gutters takes some costly equipment, is dangerous, and a job better left to the pros.
Take your first bite out of the mess in your gutters by calling Shark Pro Wash. We will circle your gutter system and determine the best way to strike. Your gutters won’t know what bit them! While you’re at it, let us make your home, driveway, and screens look fin-tastic with our pressure or soft-washing service. Shark Pro Wash is dedicated to getting results that make JAWS drop.
