Rain gutters form an important part of how your roof protects your home. When rainstorms come, the accumulated water could pose a serious risk to the foundation, roof, and other areas around your home. Their “out of sight, out of mind” placement means they tend to be overlooked in the ongoing maintenance of your home.
The lifespan of your rain gutters depends heavily on the material they’re made from and how well they’re taken care of.
Just as gutters are out of sight and barely noticeable, it may be easy to overlook when they are in need of some maintenance or even replacement. So, how do you know its time for a gutter overhaul?
How to Tell When it’s Time to Replace Your Gutters
With consistent care, steel and aluminum gutters can last as long as 20 years. While not as common, copper gutters have a potential lifespan of an impressive 50 years. However, when debris is allowed to gather in the gutters, additional strain gets placed on the fixtures and materials they’re made from. The weight of accumulated leaves and dirt can cause the fixtures to fail or accelerate corrosion and weaken the materials.
When your gutters fail, your home’s integrity is in danger. The defects mean they won’t be able to properly direct water away from it. Thankfully, there are indicators you can watch for to let you know you need to replace your gutters:
● Mold forming on the walls around your gutters
● Leaking
● Gutters that overflow
● Icicles forming under gutters
● Gutters that are cracked or bent
● Rainwater pooling in the gutters
● Parts falling from loose gutters
● Fascia board degradation
● Gaps between gutter panels
If you don’t replace your gutters when these signs appear, you’re setting the stage for countless issues. The water that overflows from your gutters can cause serious damage to the exterior of your home. The windows, house panels, siding, pavement, and foundation are just some of the elements of your home that are at risk. Cracks and pooling water can draw insects to your home and give them access to the interior, and can also lead to the formation of mold.
This buildup of water can also damage your roof. It’s important to regularly check the soffit and fascia, which form the support system for your gutters. When water overflows out of your gutters, these support structures are often the first to suffer. This can allow water to damage your ceiling and other aspects of your home. Less critically, uncontrolled water flow can also damage your landscaping, killing plants and causing hazards such as mud pools.
This overflow of water becomes even more concerning during the colder months. Water expands when it freezes, causing even greater damage to the structures it gets into.
What Can You Do To Protect Your Gutters?
The most important thing you can do to protect your gutters and your home is perform regular maintenance. The best times to clean out your gutters are in the Spring and Fall. During this cleaning, you can inspect them for damage that occurred throughout the interim seasons. These periods are also the most likely times for damage to occur to gutters. During the inspection, you may find that it’s time to replace your gutters.
Contact Your Gutter Specialists To Protect Your Home
When possible, it’s best to leave the care and maintenance of your gutters to the professionals. They’ll be certain to identify the signs of wear and tear immediately and know when repair is possible.
When replacing your gutters becomes inevitable, they’ll make sure it’s done properly and guarantee their work. Your gutters protect more than just your home; they protect your family, so don’t take chances with their maintenance.
Contact the gutter installation pros at Excel Home Improvement in Romulus to get the expert care and maintenance they need to continue to protect your home for years to come. Our home improvement services go beyond gutters to include residential roofing services, siding installation, soffit and trim repair and so much more.
As established and trusted home improvement contractors, our customers feel good about taking care of their homes and know our work is guaranteed and our products are warrantied. Roofs, siding and gutters are the trifecta of a secure home and who doesn’t want them to last? Call for a Free Estimate today!