Regular Eavestrough cleaning is one of the most cost effective home maintenance gifts you could give your home. Here are our top 10 reasons it’s so important to have your troughs cleaned out and to keep them well maintained avoid some serious costs down the road.
During a heavy rain fall, large amounts of water hit your roof, which runs into your eaves trough, down the downspout and away from your home. However, if your troughs are blocked, all of this water pours over your down spout and runs down your foundation and potentially into your basement.
If your eaves troughs have not been cleaned properly, you are increasing the risk of ice dams developing in your troughs. This occurs when water is blocked in the eaves trough, freezes and grows back under the shingles. When the sun comes out, this ice is melted and drips into the ceiling causing damage.
We’ve heard this story too many times – the family goes on vacation, and comes home to water damage on the ceiling from an ice dam buildup over the winter. This can easily be avoided by having the troughs cleared and flowing properly before the winter months.
If you drop a marble into your eaves, it should roll down and out of a downspout. Most eaves troughs older than 10 years old don’t pass the test. All eaves troughs have a slight slope or grade, pointing left or right so that the water slopes towards the downspout. If this slope isn’t correct, it can cause a number of problems such as:
If your eaves troughs are held on by the “spike and furrow” method, (the front of your eaves look like they have large spikes holding them on), you should really pay close attention to slope issues.
We have a Solution: New metal ‘gutter clips’ or ‘gutter hangers’ can be installed beside the existing spike to give the sagging troughs their proper lift, and restoring the slope.
Having large icicles on the house is a good indication of a blocked eavestrough. Without a path for water to run, the eavestrough will overflow from the side and form a series of icicles. Risks of icicle buildup include:
A good way to prevent these issues is to have your eavestroughs clear and clean before winter comes.
As a home owner your eaves troughs should be cleaned out in the spring (after the buds of the new leaves fall) and again in the fall (when the leaves fall).
The exception to this is if you are in a brand new subdivision without trees or if you live in a heavily forested area with branches extending onto the roof line.
Unless you live in a heavily forested area that requires monthly cleaning, eavestrough guards should be avoided. Most home owners will find that it makes greater financial sense simply to have them cleared when they are blocked.
Many of the guard systems simply don’t work well enough to justify the cost of the guard. If you do live in a heavily treed area, expect to pay in the range of $15-$20 dollars per foot for a high quality guard to be installed. Of all the guards we’ve seen over the years, top marks go to Diamond Back Gutter Guards.
Many accidents result from inexperience. Most people do not have the proper ladders needed to do the job well and do not have formal training on how to operate a ladder properly.
Injuries have unfortunately, become common in the DIY (Do it Yourself) community. Given the price of the service, scratch it off your “to do list” and call a professional. With our training and experience, we’ll be safe up there!
Ladder arms are used to increase stability and keep the weight of the ladder off the eaves trough. Eaves troughs are thin, painted coils of aluminum, that can scratch and dent easily. We are continually shocked to see how many people place their ladders directly onto an eavestrough, making dents and scratches as they go.
If the outside of your eavestrough has become dark, dirty and is stained with a thin coating of black/brown, your eaves troughs maybe trying to tell you something.
We often remind customers that the outside appearance of your eavestrough is your best indicator as to what’s going on inside. If the outside is fresh and white, they are clear. If the outside is dirty and stained, chances are you have a blocked eavestrough and they need to be cleared.
Once the eavestrough has been cleared of debris, make sure you flush the downspout with a garden hose and running water to ensure that water can freely flow.
You can listen to the sound of running water or if your return spills onto the lawn, simply check to see that it’s free flowing.
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The Orange Guys is division of Performance Property Services Inc.
