At Alamance Insulation and Gutters, we’ve got all your insulation and gutter needs covered. Serving areas in central North Carolina such as Greensboro, Burlington, Mebane, Hillsborough, and High Point, we provide excellent services and products to our loyal customers. One service we offer is cleaning your gutters. Many customers ask why they need to clean their gutters at least once before winter and once before spring. Read more to find out why!
Why Clean Gutters Before Winter and Before Spring?
In cold-weather climates, leaves will fall in autumn. Some will land in your gutters. These leaves are very likely to cause a clog. If not, they will still decrease the speed of water draining out of your downspouts. Both problems will encourage ice dams in the winter. It’s much easier to clean the gutters out before winter than to try to melt an ice dam after it has formed.
Most homeowners in areas that experience snowfall clean their gutters before spring to ensure their gutter system can handle the heavy rains it will experience over the next few weeks. In fact, for those in warm-weather climates, it is recommended to clean your gutters before hurricane season so the gutter system has the best chance to handle the extreme weather. Of course, you’ll also want to clean them afterwards to remove any debris the high winds carry into the gutters.
In spring, dirty gutters may develop mold or host bug and animal life through the summer. Water may even back up from the gutters onto the roof, potentially causing a leak or rotting the wooden fascia behind the gutters.
There are a few other circumstances where it is wise to clean your gutters more regularly:
- You own tall trees, especially evergreens that drop needles into the gutters throughout the year.
- You find your system becomes clogged easily.
- Your gutters are leaking or overflowing.
If you want to clean your gutters less often, you can trim back your trees, install a gutter system made of a more weather-resistant material, such as steel or copper, or install gutter guards.
If you have questions about your gutters, please don’t hesitate to contact Alamance Insulation and Gutters. We’re happy to help!