How Often Should I Clean My Gutters?
As winter approaches, it’s crucial for homeowners to prepare their homes for the changing weather conditions. While insulation and heating systems are often prioritized, one essential aspect that shouldn’t be overlooked is gutter cleaning. Neglecting this vital maintenance task can lead to severe consequences, including home damage and pest infestations. As a multi-award-winning local plumbing service provider, McCarthy Plumbing Group understands the importance of regular gutter cleaning. In this blog, we will discuss why cleaning your gutters before winter is crucial, with a focus on areas we serve, such as Point Cook, Altona, Laverton, Williamstown, Werribee, and Hoppers Crossing.
We recommend your gutter cleans occur at least every six months; more often if you have large established trees surrounding the property, for the following reasons:
Preventing Home Damage
Gutters play a crucial role in protecting your home from water damage. Their primary function is to collect rainwater and direct it away from your roof, foundation, and landscaping. However, when gutters are clogged with debris like leaves, twigs, and dirt, they become ineffective. Instead of guiding water away, clogged gutters can cause water to overflow and accumulate on your roof, leading to potential home damage.
Investing in professional gutter cleaning services, such as those offered by us, ensures that your gutters are clear and free flowing. By having clean gutters, water can be effectively channelled away from your home, preventing potential water damage during winter storms and safeguarding the integrity of your property. Many Point Cook gutter cleans have occurred from attending roof leaks, which could’ve been avoided if preventative maintenance occurred, such as regularly cleaning gutters.
Avoiding Pest Infestations
Clogged gutters can create an ideal environment for pests to thrive. The accumulation of leaves, twigs, and stagnant water in neglected gutters becomes an attractive breeding ground for insects, rodents, and other pests. These pests can find their way into your home through cracks and openings, causing a myriad of problems and potential health risks for your family.
Regular gutter cleaning eliminates the debris that attracts pests, reducing the likelihood of infestations. We’ve attended an Altona roof repair job recently with bird’s nests in and around the blocked gutters!
Ensuring Home Insurance Coverage
Homeowners often overlook the fact that neglecting gutter maintenance can impact their home insurance coverage. Most insurance policies require homeowners to adequately maintain their properties and take preventive measures to avoid damage. If it is determined that home damage or subsequent issues, such as pest infestations, could have been prevented through routine gutter cleaning, insurance claims may be denied, leaving homeowners to bear the financial burden.
Todd Arnold, Director of Cornerstone Insurance, says the following about regularly maintaining your gutters; “Insurance is intended to cover those unexpected events, which are outside of your control – Insurance is not a substitute for maintenance. Maintenance can help avoid losses, such as water damage from blocked guttering.
This can bite a policyholder in a claim situation, particularly if the issue is obviously linked to poor maintenance, where the loss would have been avoided had the property been maintained. It’s fair to say that it’s not really unforeseen that blocked/clogged gutters could lead to water damage, as they can’t perform as intended. Don’t let lack of maintenance put you in what could potentially be a costly, uninsured situation”.
