You've Gutter Be Kidding Me - It's Time to Clean the Gutters

What are gutters for? You hear that question and think, "well that's silly! They catch the water that runs off the roof." Well, I hate to break it to you, but your gutters are calling and their feelings are hurt that you think that's all they do.

Yes, gutters do catch rain that runs off the roof and redirect it away from the house. In North, Central, and East Texas, that job is a bigger deal than it sounds.

Our beautiful corner of Texas is a majority mixture of the Texas Blackland Prairie and the Texas Claypan Area (Bureau of Economic Geology, 2008). These regions are made up of clay and sandy loams that are very sensitive to extreme temperature swings. Think of the soil like a crusty sponge with a temper: it swells up when it's wet and shrinks when it's dry.

As residents in this area, we're no strangers to extreme swings between cold and hot, flash floods, long droughts, ice, high winds, and humidity. Combined, these can create the "perfect storm" for foundation shifting, and houses with clogged gutters are at a higher risk of foundation troubles.

When gutters are clogged, water can't consistently flow and get routed away from the house. I think we can all agree that waterfalls are beautiful, but when it's a waterfall off the edge of your roof, the power of the water can quickly wash away the soil supporting your foundation. But the foundation isn't the only trouble spot. 

Overflowing gutters can spill back onto the side of the house or under the edge of the roof, risking water and weather damage to exterior walls and the roofline itself. In rainy seasons in North, Central, and East Texas, water intrusion can cause the initial damage that gets worsened by the extreme hot or cold seasons that follow. And if you think it can't get worse, buildup of leaves, sticks, and debris makes the perfect home for pests, and sometimes plants. In Texas, this is the perfect spot for mosquitos, rodents, insects, and other critters that wreak havoc for any homeowner.

Gutters should be cleaned at least twice a year: once in late spring after heavy pollen and seed pods drop, and once in late fall after the leaves finish falling. But not everyone has the time or resources to maintain their gutters. Some might even think, what's one more year? I've gone this far without issues. Not everyone is going to want to prioritize something they can't see, especially when there's no glaring issue in front of them. But that's the whole point of preventative maintenance: to prevent the costly, glaring issues before they show up.

At RamRevive, we can help take that to-do list item off your hands. It starts with a simple inspection, and pricing depends on the linear footage involved and whether guards are installed. Once we've provided an estimate and you approve it, we'll schedule a day and time that works best for you. From there, we remove all dirt and debris, rinse everything out, and test the flow to make sure every clog is gone. Our goal is to leave every property better than we found it.

So the next time you hear the question "What are gutters for?" you'll know they're the silent heroes keeping your home safe, and they deserve all the credit, and attention, they've earned.