What Happens When Gutters are Clogged?

Very few of us relish the idea of cleaning, but we also know that it is something that needs to be done to keep our home in top condition. It is easy to be forced to keep the obvious areas of our house clean, the areas where we can see the dirt and the mess building up, but the hidden areas are just as important to keep clean too. 

Gutters are a vital part of your home and roofing system. Their job in handling the excess rainwater is crucial in preventing devastating and disastrous damage to your house. Unfortunately, gutters are hidden away on the roofs of our homes meaning they often get forgotten about when it comes to regular home maintenance and cleaning. In this article, we’ll highlight some of the risks to you and your home when the gutters are neglected and the need for a professional cleaning and maintenance service.

The Dangers and Damage of Blocked Gutters

Wildfires

Wildfires are a constant threat in the peak of Australian summer. The fires themselves are a big enough threat, but the other risk is the embers they can send into the wind. If your guttering has been allowed to get clogged and build up debris, this can act as the perfect kindling material for wildfire embers, allowing the fire to spread rapidly and directly onto your roof. The risk of clogged gutters starting or spreading fire is one of the reasons you should have regular professional gutter cleaning and maintenance by a specialist plumber even in summer when there is low rainfall.

Flooding Risk

Gutters primary job is to direct water safely away from your property into drainage systems to prevent build-up and flooding. If the gutters are clogged or damaged, you risk the chance of flooding especially to the basement and lower levels of your home. Worse still, a clogged gutter can cause gradual flooding that can go unnoticed until it becomes a critical issue requiring expensive emergency plumbing services.

Structural Damage

The main function of well-designed guttering systems is to direct water away from the roof and fascias of your home. If the gutters are damaged or clogged and not able to effectively disperse this water, it can lead to very costly damage to your roofing and slow rot of the wood structures and fascias. It can be very hard to see this kind of problem without a proper inspection of the guttering, which means that it can build up over a long period and do significant damage before it is noticed.

Landscaping Erosion

Without the proper and effective drainage, well-maintained guttering provides, you can risk eroding and damaging your garden and landscaping. Large volumes of water that build up during stormy weather can overflow and collect underneath the gutter flooding garden areas, washing away plants and other backyard features.

Call The Professionals

Keeping your gutters clean and free from clogs is critical in ensuring their continued operation. As this article shows, dirty and clogged gutters can present a real risk to your and your household. Regular maintenance is the best way that you can make sure that your gutters are free from any issues and are working effectively to protect your home from fire, flood, and other risks.

It may be tempting to think that your gutters can be easily cleaned yourself, without the need for a professional cleaning service, but the truth is that hiring a professional is more than worth the money. Gutters may seem like a simple piece of plastic, but they are more complex than they appear. If they aren’t well maintained, even if they have been kept clean, then your home may still be at risk of damage.

Another reason to consider hiring a professional gutter cleaning service is the safety risks associated with cleaning them. Without the proper equipment and safety training such as that possessed by professional plumbing services, it can be dangerous to attempt cleaning and repairs of your guttering system.

Paying for a professional plumbing cleaning service is well worth the investment, and will pay for itself in the long-run by protecting your home, family, and possessions from damage and saving you the costs of emergency plumbers.