How Cleaning Your Gutters Can Help Prevent Storm Damage | SERVPRO® of East Mecklenburg/Matthews

5/16/2022 (Permalink)

Storm damage can occur when you least expect it. SERVPRO® of East Mecklenburg/Matthews is available 24/7 to assist you with any repairs.

Spring has sprung, and the time for spring-cleaning is here! Yes, we know—it’s something many homeowners don’t look forward to.

But we aren’t here to talk about dusting your living room or deep-cleaning the curtains. Instead, we’d like to talk about a way that you can do some spring-cleaning and home maintenance all at once.

That’s right, you can kill two birds with one stone. In fact, with this particular spring-cleaning to-do, you can actually knock out three birds! We’re talking about cleaning the gutters.

By taking some time to clean the gutters this spring, you’ll not only improve the appearance of your home, but you’ll also help protect it from wear and tear and may even prevent storm damage.

What to Know About the Gutters
You might not think about your gutters much. But when it comes to storms, the gutters can be one of your home’s biggest defense mechanisms.

That’s because gutters are designed to take rain and storm water off the roof and away from the structure of the house. Even if there’s only a trickle of rainfall (not the downpours we’re accustomed to here in the Charlotte area), as the rain falls onto the roof, it merges together and can create a surge.

This surge of water can have disastrous consequences for your roof and for the structure of the house, planting (and leaving) water in places it doesn’t need to be.

Gutters take that water and redistribute it, carrying it out into the yard and away from the house foundation.

Why You Need to Clean the Gutters
If you never clean out your gutters (or rarely do, anyhow), you’re setting your house and property up for damage. You may not notice the effects of clogged gutters when it’s only lightly sprinkling, but when we’re under a flood watch or when a storm occurs, that gutter clutter can wreak havoc.

As leaves, sticks and other debris get trapped in the gutters, it narrows the path for water to travel to escape from the roof. Over time, it can entirely cut off the flow of water, causing that water to sit where it is—resulting in roof leaks, other roof damage and structural damage as the water seeps down in the soil along the home’s foundation.

That’s an insidious kind of storm damage, one that you have the power to stop before it starts! Regularly clearing out the gutters can help give even excessive rainfall a safe passage down to the ground, protecting your home and your possessions.

Despite our best precautions, sometimes storm damage still strikes. If your home was damaged by a storm, we’re here to help make it “Like it never even happened.”