When you think of home maintenance and all it takes to make your house look prim and proper, the question of how often should I clean my gutters probably never comes up…but it should.
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What is gutter maintenance?
The key to a happy home is regularly scheduled gutter maintenance. Surprising, right?
Despite common belief, practising gutter maintenance can save you a whole lot of trouble in the long run. Although it’s not the most exciting subject to talk about when it comes to a home, it is a necessary conversation to have.
Knowing how often to clean gutters is not common knowledge. They are known as the silent protectors of the house, but people don’t ask themselves, how often should I clean my gutters, enough.
Clean gutters take regular maintenance that involves checking the gutters to clear them of debris, repairing sagging or loose ones, sealing leaks, repairing downspouts, and checking your water runoff. Luckily for you, all of these things are not always necessary.
Rather than protesting the fact that you’ll have to do some extra housework, consider how often clean gutters need to be repaired or reevaluated. The answer is: not as often as abandoned gutters.
How often should you clean your gutters?
Knowing how often gutter cleaning is necessary depends on your specific circumstance. There is no single answer to the question of how often should I clean my gutters?
The number one rule is that if you see a problem, it should be fixed sooner rather than later. Any overflowing, leaking, or even water in your house that should not be there requires attention to your gutters.
On the other hand, you know your house better than anyone, so you should be able to determine the factors that may prompt you to clean the gutters.
For example, gutter blockages are typically due to fallen leaves. Depending on the number, type, and size of trees on your property, you may be needing a ‘we clean gutters’ day more often than your neighbours.
Typically, a property with many trees requires up to a gutter cleaning four times per year. If you have minimal trees, you will only have to clean approximately twice a year.
The answer to the question of how often should I clean my gutters can be answered on an individual basis but cleaning them once per year should be the minimum because any debris up there can cause problems.
The price of cleaning gutters
If you have found yourself in a sticky situation with too overwhelming of a task at hand, you can employ help. If you don’t like cleaning them yourself, there are plenty of people willing to do the job.
In Australia, how much to clean gutters depends on where you live, the property, how severe the situation is, and whether specialist equipment is necessary for the job.
The average cost for gutter maintenance is $90-$200. This price is usually dependant on severity and how many metres of the gutter need to be cleaned.
Keep in mind that there are different charges depending on what needs to be taken care of. Bird nest removal ranges from $25-$35, cleaning a single storey home ranges from $40-$150, a two-storey home ranges from $100-$250, complete gutter repair and replacement are approximately $99-$2000, and installation is typically $100-$500.
As you can see, the prices vary, so determining what is best for your home is your responsibility.
What’s the big deal about clean gutters?
The question of how often should I clean my gutters should be followed by why should I clean my gutters? Most people don’t pay any mind to the seemingly outdoor décour, so what can go wrong with figuring out how to clean roof gutters?
Firstly, ignoring your gutters can cause water damage, which can cause even bigger problems for your home. Leaving leaves and debris blocks them, inducing water to overflow and get into the structural makeup of your home.
Water damage is often accompanied by wood rotting, internal plaster damage, and worse. It can also cause your gutters to rust and degrade, leading to necessary replacement.
By not regularly cleaning your gutters, you may have to pay for roof plumbing repairs, which will definitely take a chunk out of your pockets.
Along with these physical problems, home insurance providers tend to reject a claim for water damage if they have determined that the gutters haven’t been cleaned, attributing the damage to the unclean gutters.
Gutter cleaning safety
The question of how often should I clean my gutters is best answered by the homeowner but being safe about it is just as important.
As long as you have a ladder and a pair of gloves, you should be set on equipment. You must know how to work safely with a ladder since you will be having to move around to go through the entire length of your gutters.
If your home is multiple storeys, it is even more crucial that you prioritise safety over everything. Most people find that doing it themselves is a risk they are not willing to take and employ a professional cleaning service.
Whatever your preference, regularly maintaining your gutters will save you from the stress of a potential mess.
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