Clean Your Home’s Eavestroughing Before Winter

Posted: 10/6/16 - Category: Eavestroughs & Gutters

As many people have already noticed, fall in the Greater Toronto Area comes with a lot of moisture. In a few weeks, the leaves will be changing as well, followed soon after with vigorous raking and lawn maintenance. Many people will be spending hours in their yards this fall in preparation for winter, but for all that time, very few will look up and consider their eavestroughs and gutters.

Cleaning your eavestroughs and gutters is an absolutely essential aspect of regular home maintenance. Not only does it help your home properly drain water, regular cleanings will also protect your home from water damage, structural issues, and can even save you from personal injury. But while most people only clean their gutters in the springtime, when they see the leaves and snow piled up on their roofs, it’s a much better idea to have your gutters and eavestroughs professionally cleaned in the fall as well. Here are just a few reasons why you should have your gutters cleaned before winter.

1. Give Your Gutters a Break

Toronto’s climate is particularly humid and, in the fall, that humidity turns into rain. Coupled with the leaves falling from trees, gutters can get overloaded with soggy leaves. These waterlogged leaves are extremely heavy compared to what eavestroughs and gutters are designed to hold, which leads to an overburdened water system. Overburdened eavestroughs cause strain on the side of your home where they are mounted, which can cause a number of issues, from cracked gutters to eavestroughs falling off their mounts, potentially striking something or someone on the way down.

2. Frozen Water is Dangerous

When you leave your gutters and eavestroughs uncleaned for the winter, water that gets trapped in them will freeze over the winter, contracting and expending every time the temperature fluctuates around the freezing mark. Water that freezes in this way will often seep into small cracks and then expand when it turns to ice again, warping and cracking your eavestroughs. And while broken eavestroughs can be expensive to replace, that cost simply does not compare to the potential water damage those warped gutters can inflict on your home. Water from broken gutters can leak into your home and its foundation, causing thousands in water damage that you’ll need to get fixed right away.

3. Stay Prepared for Spring

Keeping your gutters clean for the winter also means they’ll be able to more effectively drain water in the springtime, when they have to do a lot more work draining away snow and rain. Without a fall cleaning, the snow and rainfall during the summer can sit on your home, causing leaks and other roofing issues.

While you’re out preparing your home’s outdoor spaces for winter, be sure to look up and consider your gutters. These specialty water-raining systems are an integral aspect of your home’s safe operation and require regular attention and maintenance, including twice-annual cleanings performed by a professional Toronto eavestrough cleaning and gutter cleaner. Only the professionals have the tools, equipment, and expertise to safely and efficiently clean your home’s gutters, and they can even set you up on a regular schedule so they’ll automatically clean your gutters every spring and fall.Toronto eavestrough cleaning and gutter cleaner