Autumn is the time of year that brings a sense of renewal and it should be no different for checking your gutters! Guttering isn’t the most glamorous part of a property and you’re clambering to check it, but it plays a crucial role in protecting your home and its structural integrity. Ignore it before winter, and you could be facing serious and expensive consequences further down the line.
Water damage to walls and roofs
A gutter’s job is to channel built up rainwater safely away from your property. So if your gutters become blocked with leaves, debris or pests, this means that water has nowhere to go. But water will always try and find a place to go, so it will start spilling, soaking exterior walls and seeping into brickwork. If this isn’t noticed or treated then this leads to damp, mould growth and over time can affect the structure of a property.
Roofs can also be vulnerable. If you’re not regularly keeping an eye on what’s happening with guttering around your roofing, it can lead to overflowing water affecting tiles and slates and causing leakages that aren’t always visible, until you start noticing issues inside your property.
Risk to foundations
Guttering might not seem like a serious issue but it can lead to greater issues. If water isn’t being drained effectively, it can collect around the base of a property and start to affect its foundations. The soil can erode the soil and lead subsidence or cracking in the foundations, which is an incredibly serious and costly issue.
Damage to fascias and soffits
If water is overflowing due to blockages in guttering, then it can end up damaging the very parts of your property that are designed to support your guttering. Wooden fascias and soffits can start to rot if water and excessive moisture is damaging them. That can then impact the structure of the guttering.
Pest problems
Blocked gutters are very attractive to lots of nasty creepy-crawlies and the animals that like creepy-crawlies too! They become a nesting ground for all sorts of things you don’t want in your guttering. Insects, birds and rodents can set up home in your guttering, but they can also make their way into your property too which can cause even more problems. Make your guttering as unappealing as possible to the neighbourhood pests.
Increased winter risks
As the temperatures drop, excess water can start to freeze and expand guttering, which can cause cracks and damage to its structure. Heavy snow or ice adds extra weight, which can lead to guttering falling away from the property.
The affordable solution
Preventing issues is a much more sensible and cost-effective approach than waiting for more serious issues to occur in all walks of life, especially guttering. A professional gutter maintenance is relatively inexpensive compared to repair and replacement. Getting someone in to check your guttering can give you reassurance everything is ok and they have safe methods to do so.
A quick clean and inspection could save you thousands, so why wait. Get in touch with our team at Gutter Art today.