Gutter Maintenance: Your Summer Checklist

Between blazing hot sun and sudden summer storms, July weather can be punishing for your home’s gutters. A professional gutter cleaner and/or installer can perform the upkeep needed to get your gutters in great shape.

From inspections to cleaning and drainage testing, summer is the best time to make sure your gutters didn’t suffer any damage over the past spring and to prepare for windy autumn and icy winter weather.

Inspections

Your first call in July should be to a professional gutter installation and repair service to conduct an inspection. The service technician can inspect and adjust the pitch of the gutter to make sure the water flows correctly, tighten up or rehang loose gutters, and, most importantly, check the gutter base and sides for any small holes or rusting areas. 

Companies will seal or make repairs to gutter surfaces, but if the damage is more extensive, the inspector might suggest replacement of sections of the gutters.

Cleaning

Clogged gutters can’t do their job correctly, and after a spring filled with heavy rains, pollen explosions, and leaves dropped by breezy days, a home’s gutters may need serious attention. 

While gutter cleaning can be a DIY job, most homeowners prefer to avoid the hose and ladder and hire a professional gutter cleaner to complete the work. When contracting for gutter cleaning work, be sure to inquire if the job will include bagging and removing the debris that is removed from the gutters. 

While arriving home to newly cleaned gutters is wonderful, nothing is worse than having to pick up and dispose of all the gutter debris that was left in your yard.

Drainage

July is also a good time to trace the flow of water out of the gutters to see where it ends up. Exterior improvements to your home or changes in landscaping may shift the drainage patterns that water from the gutters will follow. 

Use the sporadic rains during the summer (or mimic rainfall with a garden hose) to ensure that the water is flowing completely away from the home’s foundation and is not pooling in areas around the yard that might tend to create mulch washout or breed insects.

Schedule a local Best Pick to inspect and clean your gutters as well as perform preventive maintenance—then you can be confident that your gutters will withstand seasonal changes and turbulent weather until the next inspection.