As a homeowner in Florida, you understand the importance of taking care of your home and property. After all, it’s your sanctuary, a place to relax and enjoy living with loved ones. But too often we forget one crucial part of maintaining our homes: cleaning gutters!
While it can easily slide down the to-do list of chores, keeping gutters clean is key to protecting the integrity of your roof and your home’s foundation. Not to mention, properly maintaining your gutters helps you save money on repairs or replacements in the long run. In a state with storms as frequent as Florida, it’s important that your gutters are tended to so that they can operate as smoothly as possible.
At the same time, though, do you want to add a new task to your homeownership checklist? With some planning, cleaning gutters can prove a relatively quick and easy process. Today, we’ll be reviewing 5 of the best times to clear out your gutters to keep them operational in any storm.
5 Great Times to Clean Out Your Gutters
1: Springtime
As the trees start to blossom and the weather gets warmer, springtime is usually the best season to head outside and clean out those gutters. One reason for this is that by April or May, all of the leaves and debris that were collected over the past few months will start to decompose.
This will often result in a pretty unpleasant smell that you’ll want to eliminate as soon as you can. On top of that, the beautiful spring weather is the perfect time to do some work outside without having to worry about feeling too hot or too cold.
2: After a Storm
Anyone that lives in Florida can speak to the damage that frequent storms can do to your home and land. In addition to that, storms are also one of the biggest culprits when it comes to messy gutters.
Powerful rain and winds from storms can clog your gutters by blowing leaves and debris into them. That’s why you should clean out your gutters right after a storm hits. The heavy rain from storms can also cause your gutters to overflow, so it’s best to take care of them as soon as you can before any major damage is done.
3: Before Winter
While springtime is great for cleaning your gutters, you should also make sure to clear them out again before winter rolls around. Like spring, the fall is another season of transition where weather patterns change, which can also result in more debris accumulating in your gutters.
This can often lead to problematic clogs once precipitation starts. Not to mention that cleaning out your gutters is a far more pleasant task if you’re able to complete the process before the weather becomes less favorable.
4: When You Notice Water Overflowing
Even in heavy rain, your gutters should flow smoothly without overflowing. A tell-tale sign that you should clean out your gutters is if you notice that they are overflowing with water when it rains. This typically indicates that your gutters have a clog and need leaves or debris to be removed as soon as possible.
Cleaning your gutters when you notice overflow can also preserve the health of your garden or landscaping around your home which may become damaged if they are flooded with gutter water. The water can pool near the foundation of your home, creating the potential for cracks or other water damage.
5: When Your Gutters Start Making Noise
Your gutters should not be making any noise, whether it’s raining or not. However, if you hear a banging or rattling sound when it rains, this is usually because excess leaves or other pieces of debris are making contact with the sides of the gutters. If you hear some sort of unusual noise, you should immediately clean out your gutters in order to remedy this.
In some other situations, noises may arise as a result of malfunctioning or broken gutters. If you cleared all of the debris from the gutter and there is still a noticeable noise, it may be time to contact a professional to repair your gutters or install new ones.
Get Gutter Installation and Maintenance in St. Augustine, FL
Palm Coast Gutters are the Palm Coast area’s leading installer of innovative and stylish seamless gutter systems for Florida homeowners.
Even with regular cleanings, gutters may still need some maintenance or repair. If you’re experiencing constant issues with your gutters that can’t be solved by removing debris, contact our team at Palm Coast Gutters for repairs and new installations.
To get started, request a free quote today.