I’ll be straightforward with you — gutters are not the most glamorous topic in the roofing world. But after 30 years in this business, I can tell you that neglected gutters have caused more damage to homes than most homeowners ever realize. And the frustrating part? Most of it is completely preventable.
Let me explain what’s happening when your gutters get clogged.
When leaves, sticks, and debris pile up in your gutters, water has nowhere to go. Instead of flowing down the downspout and away from your house, it starts backing up. From there, a few bad things can happen. That standing water can overflow and run straight down the side of your house, which eventually rots your fascia board — that’s the board your gutters are screwed into. Once that board goes soft, your gutters start pulling away from the house. Now you’ve got a gutter problem and a wood repair on your hands.
It gets worse in winter. That same standing water in your gutters can freeze and create what’s called an ice dam. Ice dams push water up underneath your shingles, and that’s when it starts finding its way into your attic and eventually the ceiling. I’ve been on roofs where the damage from a single bad ice dam cost the homeowner thousands of dollars because the gutters hadn’t been cleaned in a few years.
And here’s something people don’t think about — if water is consistently overflowing next to your foundation, over time it saturates the ground around your home. That’s how you end up with foundation issues, and those repairs make a new roof look cheap.
So, what should you do?
Clean your gutters at minimum once a year — ideally in late fall after the trees have dropped their leaves. If you’ve got a lot of mature trees around your house here in Tulsa, twice a year isn’t overkill. Spring cleanings catch all the seeds and debris that blow in during Oklahoma storm season.
If you hate dealing with gutters altogether, gutter guards are worth exploring. They’re not perfect — nothing keeps 100% of debris out — but they dramatically reduce how often you need to inspect it. Some systems work a lot better than others, so give us a call before you buy anything off a shelf at the hardware store.
One more thing — while you’re having your gutters cleaned, have whoever is up there check that they’re still pitched correctly toward the downspouts. Gutters that have sagged or pulled away from the house over the years won’t drain properly even when they’re clean.
If you’ve got questions about your gutters or you’re not sure what shape they’re in, Green Country Roofing is happy to take a look. Call us at (918) 607-7409. We’ll give you an honest answer — even if that answer is that you’re just fine for another year.