Without a gutter system, your home is at risk for foundation damage during a strong storm and could leave your home with hundreds, if not thousands of dollars in costly damages and repair bills later on down the road. Rain, snow and ice all pool around your foundation if a proper gutter system is not set up or your gutter system is clogged. It’s important to know how to remove debris and clogs from your gutter system, and the types of things that can clog them. Below, we cover the four main things that can clog your gutter systems.
1. Leaves
The most common culprits of clogging is neighborhood leaves from trees surrounding your roof line or gutter, especially in Autumn as trees begin to shed their leaves to protect their roots below. By pruning branches above your roof and tree line, you can prevent leafy debris from entering your gutter system. Some companies will even install a leaf guard for your gutter system to help more susceptible setups or areas. By far, the most effective way of removing leaves and other clogs by using a pair of heavy-duty gardening gloves to remove them by hand.
2. Weeds
Weeds are known for being able to grow in the toughest of conditions. Often times, the leaves that lay in your gutter without cleaning can decompose into dirt. This dirt, or soil, is the perfect type of soil for many different plants to grow in, being high in many nutrients. All a weed needs in this environment to grow is a little bit of moisture, which can come from a particularly foggy morning or a rainstorm. It’s important to keep leaves out of your guttersto avoid weeds from becoming a ‘pest’ in your gutter system.
3. Bird’s Nests
Bird’s nests are a surprisingly common problem in many homeowner’s gutter system. Most birds love the gutter’s appearance. For an additional bonus in the bird’s eyes, your gutter system is perfectly sloped to allow room for a nest, it’s high off of the ground to protect it’s eggs from predators, and best of all, they get to scavenge for all the best worms (who are attracted to the decomposing leaves and moisture in your gutter!)
Squirrels and other wildlife have also been known to move into gutter systems before. It’s important to keep on top of regular gutter inspections and maintenance to help avoid the destructive behavior of wildlife and discourage any wildlife from moving in. This will do your gutters a wonderful favor in protecting it from clogs, added weight and potential sagging and many more problems down the road.
4. Muck and Sludge
Muck and sludge is otherwise known as organic materials from natural sources, such as leaves, guano, animal carcasses and other materials. This will eventually decompose down, with help from rain storms, into a slimy, blackened and rotten material. This material is wonderful for your compost pile, but not so great for your gutter system. By helping keep your gutter system free of this debris in the first place, you can help avoid this problem. Performing regular gutter checkups will help you keep on top of new developments in your system.
