When you neglect having your gutters cleaned, there are a few things you can expect. You can expect it to not look great. You can expect water to overflow from the gutters, causing roof and other home damage. You can expect your drain spouts to become clogged up and rust after being full of wet debris. However, there are some unexpected effects of not cleaning your gutters.

Increase in Pests

When your gutters are dirty, it provides the optimal moist, warm environment for pests to breed.  Not only will you probably see an increase of mosquitoes and other bugs near your home, but because the moisture will degrade your roof, other pests like mice or carpenters ants may find a way inside your walls.

Allergies

Damp gutters attract pest, but they also attract other bacteria as well. If left long enough, mold and algae will begin to form. It essentially creates a barrier of allergens that skirts your home. A nice day on the patio can turn into a fit of wheezing for those most sensitive to the presence of mold.

It Could Void Your Home Warranty

You may not realize it, but a lot of home warranties have specific stipulations that you have to clean your gutter regularly for the warranty to be valid for roof repairs. As a roof can be quite the expense, you not only want to take care of it, but will want that warranty if you do actually manifest a problem with it.

While these are lesser know effects, all the known effects of putting off gutter cleaning are reason enough to have it done. If you have dirty gutters, but hate cleaning them yourself, contact us today. Patriot Services can help you make sure this dirty, but necessary job is done quickly to keep your home safe and sturdy.

While a seemingly inconsequential part of a house’s exterior, the gutters are one of the first things that someone sees when they pull up in front of your house, whether they realize it or not. If you installed uncomplimentary colored gutters for your home’s paint job, you better believe people will notice. However, if the gutters look nice, most people won’t even notice them. If you are trying to sell a home, this is typically what you want.

However, among the many things you can do to increase the curb appeal of your house, having the gutters cleaned doesn’t really rank high among them. After all, most people don’t check for clogged gutters when looking around. The reality of the fact is, it isn’t clogs you really need to worry about, it is discoloration.

Over time, gutters can become filled with mold and algae, typically due to not cleaning them often enough. As time goes on, a process called electrostatic bonding occurs. This means the mold and algae embed in the aluminum surface, leaving behind black streaks. The good news is that if you spot this process early on, it can be rectified during the gutter cleaning process by your pressure washing company. However, if you let those black streaks sit, they can become a permanent – and ugly – feature on your gutter work.

While anyone can get up on a ladder with a bucket and some gloves to clean out those gutters, it is important to remember that there is more than just removing the debris within the gutters. You really do have to actually clean away mold and mildew within or risk it leeching outwards onto the gutter exterior, or worse, onto your roof. If you are considering having your gutters cleaned, contact us today to see what Patriot Services can do for you.

Every homeowner should know that gutters need to be cleaned, but few actually know how often they should do it. The easy answer to when to clean your gutters is whenever your house needs it, but every home is in unique conditions. This means that when your neighbor needs to clean their gutters may not be the time you need to clean yours.

For most homes, gutter cleaning should be done at least twice a year, once in the fall from the leaves and once in the spring from the various blossoming and shedding plant matter. These are the two seasons with enough debris as well as a need for good drainage because of the increased chance for rain. It is also crucial to prevent clogs for the winter months when water can so easily freeze into ice if left to sit, damaging gutters, roofing, and everything in between.

Unfortunately, there are other factors that will definitely increase your need to have a gutter cleaning done, primary among them is trees. You may enjoy trees in your yard, but if they overhang on your roof, it leads to a need for more frequent gutter cleaning. Maple trees, in particular, are difficult to live with. You may note that they shed particulate in the spring, summer, and fall in various forms, easily clogging the gutters as they get larger. This means that you may need to have the gutters cleaned more often or be forced to deal with clogs.

If your gutters are in need of cleaning, and you don’t look forward to the prospect of having to mount an unsteady ladder and grasp the gross mysteries hiding in your gutter work, why not contact us instead? Patriot Services is a veteran-owned company that certainly isn’t afraid of a few gutter mysteries. We can help get those gutters cleaned out and flowing well today.