How often should you clean your gutters? It's one of our most frequently asked questions. Regular gutter cleaning is critical to maintaining the integrity of your home inside and out. Overflowing gutters can cause water damage, foundation erosion, termites, mold, mildew and other costly problems.
The Pacific Northwest Can Wreak Havoc On Gutters
In the Pacific Northwest, we count ourselves lucky to be surrounded by nature in many forms, including an abundance of deciduous and non deciduous trees. But that also means it usually only takes about six months for organic matter to decompose resulting in clogged gutters and downspouts. Related problems like overflow and algae overgrowth soon follow.
Fall Cleaning
Fall in Portland and surrounding areas mean leaf debris builds up quickly, and when the inevitable rainy season compacts them in gutters, it doesn’t take long to render gutters and downspouts useless.
Spring Cleaning
In the Spring, buds and petals from new growth and flowering trees contribute to build up on roofs, and the resulting piles get washed into gutters and downspouts. Already clogged gutters with decomposing Fall debris plus new Spring debris creates a muck that doesn’t allow water to flow freely around it. Algae also grows and contributes to strong clogs in downspouts.