You always hear the advice “get your gutters cleaned” whenever someone talks about protecting your roof. This advice might seem like overkill. Even here in Portland, gutters can’t be that important… right?
Actually, gutters are extremely important. Here are four reasons why:
1. Gutters control the flow of water off your roof. And you know that here in Portland, we get plenty of rain, hail, sleet, and even sometimes snow hitting our roofs. When you have a clean, properly attached gutter system with a downspout directing the water away from your home, you stop any puddling below your roofline while controlling where that water goes.
2. When the gutter is filled up with gunk, water will back up and get under your shingles or will puddle on your roof. This is one way your roof can develop a leak. So, it’s important you keep your gutters as clean as possible.
3. Allowing moisture to collect on your eaves can leave the area open to dry rot – which is a particularly nasty condition. Gutters help prevent this.
4. Another thing gutters help prevent are leaks caused by giant puddles accumulating under your eaves. The gutters and downspouts direct water away from your home – so they can help in flood prevention.
Your roof is a system with several parts that work together to keep your home dry. Gutters are an important and helpful part of that system. So, with Fall coming up, be sure to get your gutters cleaned out and in order.