Advance Gutter Protection
One of the main causes of wood rot at the edge of your roof is unprotected gutters. After gutters have become full of debris, water collects at the roof’s edge and can easily rot wood, leak into the house, and lead to mold growth. If the gutters become full of debris, the water can wick its way into and then behind the soffit. If the gutters are not draining properly, the result will be perpetually wet soffits. This can quickly lead to some very expensive repairs.
Many cities in the Pacific Northwest receive annual rainfall amounts, in excess of one hundred inches. These amounts of precipitation can take a toll on your roof. One of the easiest ways to keep your roof system functioning properly is with regular maintenance of your gutter system to keep all that water going in the right direction.
Debris collection in gutters is a very common occurrence for residential roofs. High winds in the spring time, and any form of precipitation, can lead to debris building up in and around the gutters and downspouts of your home. This can be hard to identify right away because, you typically won’t see the debris from ground level.
One of the problems is that as many as 75% of homes in the United States do not have any form of gutter protection, and yet gutter protection is a relatively inexpensive addition when restoring an entire roof. Comparatively, gutter protection is a minimal cost for the homeowner replacing an entire roof, and the benefits significantly outweigh the cost in terms of safeguarding the home from water damage.
Gutter protection can be installed at the time of a new roof installation, or can easily be installed as an afterthought. It is designed to work with the gutter system and should minimize or eliminate the build of wind driven debris. Experience has proven that wind is something that should be carefully regarded. Some customers don’t realize that wind can be just as damaging to a roof as hail, and an often unanticipated effect is clogging gutters.
When reroofing a house, a gutter protection system should always be considered. There are several gutter protection options, including, plastic, aluminum, and composite gutter screens, sponge guards, leaf reliefs and leaf guards, and gutter shields. While each option has its pros and cons, all are relatively inexpensive. For more help with any questions about gutter protection, visit https://chasenw.com/ or call (253) 445-8950
Written by Nick Dorotik
nick@asap-claims.com
Nick Dorotik is the Vice President of ASAP Roofing, and manages the sales and marketing. You can find him on Google+ and twitter.
For more information about ASAP ROOFING, visit http://asap-claims.com/
2 thoughts on “How Are Your Gutters Protected?”
Nice article. Protecting your gutters makes life much easier than the alternative!
There’s nothing better than a leaf relief/guard system to protect the gutters from all the common debris (leafs, twigs, etc.). Simple & inexpensive to install, it should eb considered as part of any re-roofing job.