What Causes Gutter Clogs?

The main job of your gutter system is to channel the precipitation that lands on your roof during a rainstorm away from your property. Your seamless gutters prevent precipitation from pooling around your foundation or near your basement. This helps avoid the unsightly presence of mud puddles in your yard, leaks in your basement and, most importantly, water damage to your home’s foundation.

However, problems such as clogging may occur if your gutters aren’t properly maintained. When blockages form inside your gutters, they hamper the system and cause water to build up, eventually spilling over the side of the gutters. This can cause water damage in and around your house.

While it’s good to act quickly in such a situation, prevention is always better. And to effectively protect your gutter system from clogging, it’s important to have a good understanding of what causes this problem in the first place.

In this post, Barry Best Seamless Gutters discusses six of the most common causes of gutter clogs. We also share a few tips on how you can prevent them.

Trees

Trees are often the main culprit behind gutter clogging, especially if the problem happens repeatedly. If trees are planted too close to your home, they can be a hazard.

Trees shed leaves all year round, but most especially during autumn. Leaves, twigs and other organic debris will find their way onto your roof and then into your gutters and downspouts. And if your roof is flat, near-flat or inappropriately angled toward the downspouts, clogs are even more likely.

The situation may worsen if the debris remain wet for an extended period as this will make it difficult to clean later on. Damp debris in the gutters also creates a perfect breeding ground for mold, as well as an attractive home for pests. Make sure to regularly check and clean your gutters to prevent dirt and debris from accumulating. 

Bird’s Nests

Birds are particularly fond of clogged gutters, which they love to use for their nests. Inspect your gutters and clean them out on a regular basis to stop the birds from building nests inside your gutters. You can also opt to add a mesh cover to keep birds and other animals from hanging out in your gutters.

Gutter guards are very effective in keeping unwanted creatures and debris out of the gutters and downspouts. They can significantly reduce the amount of leaves, twigs and other materials that often end up in gutter systems, making gutter cleaning and maintenance a lot easier. Needless to say, gutter covers are quite useful in protecting your gutters from clogging.

Weeds

Weeds can grow almost anywhere, including your gutters. A seed can sprout with a small amount of moisture, and it can thrive even with just decaying leaves and other debris, which can act as soil for the weeds. However, with proper gutter slope and good drainage, you can stop weeds from growing in and infesting your gutters.

Muck and Sludge

Organic material can accumulate in poorly maintained gutters, eventually breaking down and turning into black, slimy, rotted matter. You might be grateful for this if it was in your compost pile. But in your gutters, this icky slime will prevent water from being properly channeled away from your rooftop.

Generally, the best way to avoid this kind of gunk is to keep your gutters free of leaves and animals. By addressing the root of the problem, you can stop the issue from being a recurring one.

Snow and Ice

Snow and ice in your gutters are most dangerous if your attic isn’t properly ventilated. Without the right ventilation, your attic will be too warm during the winter, which will cause snow on the roof to melt, drip down to the roof’s edge, and refreeze into dangerous ice dams. 

Ice dams immediately create a clog in your gutters. Furthermore, if the additional snow overflows from the gutters, you might have to deal with damaged eaves, walls and foundation.

In addition to installing better ventilation in your attic, you might also want to consider investing in a heating system for your gutters. The Helmet Heat system works by automatically heating your gutters just enough to prevent snowmelt from refreezing there. Ultimately, this type of heating system prevents icicles from forming and keeps ice dams from blocking your gutters.

Disproportion

Sometimes gutter clogs are not the result of environmental conditions but rather due to human error. During gutter installation, contractors need to take accurate measurements for your gutter system. These details are crucial to the performance of the gutters. If the installer got them wrong, problems with your gutter system are bound to occur at some point.

Gutters need to be properly sized to efficiently channel all the rainwater that lands on your roof away from your property. To give you an idea, a standard five-inch gutter can hold up to 36 gallons of water at a time. Your contractor should be able to recommend a suitable size for your gutters based on the size of your roof and the average amount of rainfall your area typically sees.

Of course, correct installation is also a significant factor. A poorly constructed gutter system will obviously deliver a dismal performance, and it might also be more prone to clogs. Make sure to hire a reputable gutter installer so that you can be sure of the quality of your gutter system.

Get a Free Gutter Replacement Quote Today!

Barry Best Seamless Gutters is one of the most respected gutter companies in the area. We specialize in seamless gutter and heated gutter systems, ensuring top-quality products and excellent workmanship for every job that we do. With our experience in small and large projects, we have the capacity to cater to residential and commercial clients.

To request a free quote, call (315) 697-5000 or fill out our contact form. We serve customers in Canastota and Syracuse, NY, as well as the surrounding areas.