8 Consequences of Not Cleaning Your Gutters

Every year when it’s almost spring or fall, you’ll see numerous adverts and campaigns reminding you to do a dreaded and tiresome task, cleaning your gutters. It’s a chore most people avoid, for it’s exhausting and risky, as you will have to climb a ladder.

However, not regularly cleaning your gutters can have severe consequences for your house. In this post, we will extensively look at eight problems that come from not taking care of your gutters.

1. Insect Infestation

When your gutters become clogged with organic materials and debris, they become a prime feeding ground for insects. Consequently, they will be infested by roaches, carpenter ants, termites, and other types of vermin. Some of these creatures can cause severe structural damage or even harm you when they get inside the house.

For instance, carpenter ants and termites can slowly chew through your home’s wood fascia. Therefore, you will have to replace entire building parts. Additionally, once the insects settle in, you will be faced with the extra cost of hiring a professional exterminator for multiple visits to eliminate them completely.

As a proud homeowner, you don’t want creepy crawlers or six-legged creatures walking around your bedroom or kitchen walls.

2. Structural Damage

Due to the buildup of materials inside gutters over time, you will start experiencing water leaks followed by foundation damage. The issue starts when water seeps through your fascia boards, shingles, and soffit. If not handled on time, the problem spreads to your home, basement, attic, crawl space, and walls.

If you observe some structural damage, even after cleaning the gutters, you’ll have to get larger downspouts so that they can sufficiently drain all the water. In worst-case scenarios, structural damage may include wood rot and cracks in the foundation. It’s worth noting that foundation cracks are irreversible and will require pricy repairs, so it is better to avoid them.

3. Damage to Landscaping

Clogged gutters often lead to overflows from the constant sagging. As the water seeps down, it will ruin the topsoil and, consequently, the landscaping. The excess water will also damage your flowers and other plants as it will wash away the fertile soil through erosion.

Landscaping improves the appearance of your home, so you must stay alert since it’s costly to redesign and repair.

4. Pollen and Mold-Related Allergies

When water slowly gets into your walls through the fissures, it attracts mildew or mold. Given the right conditions, a dark and humid environment, mildew and mold will spread like wildfire and quickly overrun a significant part of your house.

Eradicating these fungi once they firmly set up colonies is pricey and complicated. You may have to replace all your carpets. Furthermore, mold and mildew can cause health issues like wheezing, throat irritation, and coughing.

Experts have also found that clogged gutters trap lots of pollen grain, especially in spring; this can negatively affect people with pollen allergies.

5. Substantial Roof Damage

After heavy rainfall and your gutters aren’t clean, water will seep into tiny holes in the roof called fissures, and they will gradually expand.

People living in areas with sub-zero climates are at higher risk, as the water will freeze inside the fissures, expanding them rapidly and making holes in your roof.

6. Stained Sidings

Gutters overflowing with leaves and dirt will stain your house’s exterior. A stained exterior will make your home less appealing. Even though this isn’t as critical as structural damage, you don’t want your house to appear neglected.

Also, moisture trapped inside the debris will lead to a foul smell, which you can detect while walking around the house.

7. Safety Issues

Gutters aren’t built to carry heavy loads. So, when the leaves and sticks pile up, they place extra pressure on your gutters.

After some time, these gutters won’t be able to hold the weight and may fall off, and cause serious injuries, especially if you have pets or children playing outside.

8. Your Insurance Won’t Cover the Damages

Most homeowners take out insurance policies to cover their houses against unintentional damages.

However, if you look closely at your contract’s fine print, you will realize that it won’t cover harm resulting from negligence. Not regularly cleaning your gutters is a form of negligence.

Professional Gutter Cleaning, Repair, and More in Northern Virginia

With buildings, regular maintenance is preferable to repair. We highly recommend you stay diligent to avoid issues later on.

At Six Penny chimney, we will effectively and quickly clean your gutters saving you time and stress you could have experienced. Additionally, we will eliminate all the pesky insects and pests that may have made residence in your walls.

So feel free to contact us for a quote, and we will get back to you in no time.