Gutter Repair and Maintenance for Fall

Keeping the outside of your home clean can be a time consuming job, especially during the fall and winter. Trees shed their leaves, branches, and acorns at a rapid rate, which accumulate into large piles of debris on your roof and around your house. Gutters are designed to keep water and piles of leaves and such away from your roof, but to work as intended gutters need to be regularly cleaned and inspected.

Why is gutter cleaning important?

Cleaning your outside gutters is so important because the gutters on your home serve to protect your roof from water damage. When leaves, sticks, trash, and other debris find their way into your gutters, they can become clogged and fail to work properly. If roof damage does occur, it can be a much greater cost than it would have been to simply have your gutters cleaned. Gutters left unchecked can also become homes and breeding grounds to small pests like bees and mice, which will also clog your gutters as well as become a source of potential danger to unwitting homeowners.

What steps need to be taken?

If you have never checked your gutters before, the first step in cleaning them is to locate them. They are the structures that extend from the edge of the roof to capture water run-off and leaves. A ladder can be used to look into the gutters and determine how much accumulation has occurred and assess any possible damage that might have come about. Next, it is up to you to decide whether or not to attempt a thorough cleaning yourself, or to make the call to a professional that specializes in gutters and roof repair.

Should you do it yourself?

The question of whether or not to perform a gutter maintenance and cleaning on your own is a personal one. It is a potentially dangerous task for those who do not know what they are doing. It is also likely that amateurs might only be able to partially clean and miss clogs or other issues that a roofer could spot. For those who decide to attempt the cleaning, keep in mind that you will need a tall ladder and at least one other adult present to supervise as well as hold the ladder. Take care to only attempt to clean your gutters when everything is dry and there has been no recent rain. If you are interested in performing a gutter inspection on your own, it is still a good idea to have a professional come initially so that you can discuss your roof with them and garner a few tips.

Bay Area Gutter Repair Services

Arm yourself with the information you need to keep your gutters clean and debris-free this fall and winter season. Strongly consider hiring a professional to ensure that you start the rainy season with clean gutters that are capable of doing their job without clogging and causing havoc on your roof. The Oakland Roofing Contractors at Ben’s Roofing Inc. specialize in roofing and gutter repair and installation in the Bay Area. Contact our team of hard working roofing professionals today via our online contact form, or by calling (510) 690-8570.