subject: Clean Your Roof Gutters Yearly [print this page] Roof gutters are an important part to any home. Roof gutters protect you and your house from being hit by too much water. But roof gutters need to be cared for.
Roof gutters should be cleaned every year, so that water and ice do not build up behind the clutter that accumulates in them. Regular maintanance is important. Whether you've got copper gutters, steel gutters or an aluminum gutter system, a good cleaning makes sure that they will keep doing their job. If there is too much debris in your gutters, they can't do the job of moving water from the roof to the ground. Water will spill over onto your house and your entranceway. Furthermore, the roof gutters will hold water that may deteriorate the gutter itself. This is especially true if you have steel gutters or copper gutters, but even aluminum gutters may start to corrode if too much water sits in them for too long.
One way to help keep roof gutters clean is to install gutter guards. With screen guards and gutters together, you've got a complete gutter system that can do its job better than gutters alone. Gutter guards will help keep leaves and sticks from getting in to your gutters, so you may be able to get away with cleaning them every other year. At the very least, gutter guards will reduce the amount of clutter that gets in to your gutters, and make it easier to clean them when the time comes for that chore.
If you have an old house, you may not have roof gutters at all. It would be good to look into putting gutters on your roof, and nowadays you have a wide range of options to choose from. Most people will choose aluminum gutters as they are lightweight and readily available. But on an old house, you may want to retain the old look by installing copper gutters or possibly even thin steel gutters. Copper gutters in particular may add a distinctive look to a roof line, so they could be worth the additional expense to an old home in a neighborhood where architecture is very important.
The style that you choose for your roof gutters can also affect the appearance of your home. Although they are not a major feature of a home, they may add a distinctive highlight that just simply "works" with the rest of your home's decor. Many gutters are square channels, while other gutters are round and still other gutters half round. While the shape of the roof gutters will not be quite as noticeable as the color, it can make a pleasing addition to the overall appearance of the house.
If you're choosing new roof gutters for your home, there are a number of choices to be made. Remember to install a complete gutter system in order to make the best use of this protective device on your house. Use a qualified gutter installation professional to save yourself time and to get the job done right the first time. Roof gutters can last a very long time if they are properly cared for. Long enough that even a new home can become an old house.
