4 Things That Can Clog Gutter

If you carry out regular maintenance and cleaning of the gutters, you ensure that you will not have problems with blockages, leaks, or deterioration of the same due to an obstruction. It is important to review our gutter system from time to time, a simple inspection and cleaning will ensure that rainwater is evacuated quickly and efficiently. If not, it is very likely that they will end up clogged due to the following causes.

Leaves

Leaves are by far the most common reason for gutter blockages. During the fall the trees drop them, and many of them end up on our roof and in the gutters. If it rains, they have dragged to the gutters themselves and saturation occurs that must be remedied.

It is necessary, at the end of autumn, to clean the gutters to remove all the leaves that accumulate in them. Otherwise, these begin to decompose forming a slime that clogs both the gutters and the downspouts, accentuating the problem.

A good solution is to install a specially designed grid on the gutters to avoid this problem, the grid retains leaves and other debris, allowing water to pass into the gutters, and allowing efficient drainage.

Weeds

Weeds are small plants that spread easily, many species of plants and grasses need a small amount of soil or mud to take root and grow. And of course this phenomenon can occur in our gutters , these weeds reproduce easily during the spring and in a short time they can saturate and clog the gutters forcing us to remove them.

What is indicated is to carry out maintenance on the gutters at the end of spring or during the summer, to remove any grass or moss that may have grown on them and leaving them ready for the rainy season.

Bird nests

Many species of birds find the gutters the ideal place to make their nests. For obvious reasons, the nests are a problem, and that is that they clog the gutters. The solution is to remove them but we must bear in mind that we cannot do it ourselves. They may be protected species, and even if they are not, we must respect wildlife as much as possible. In addition, if we do it ourselves, we can be attacked by adult birds, which in their instinct to defend their young will not hesitate to attack any possible threat.

The appropriate thing is to consult with the city council of our locality as we should proceed. They will be in charge of sending a municipal service for the protection of fauna or the serene, which belongs to the civil guard. They will be in charge of identifying the species and removing the nest without harming the animals.

In the specific case of birds such as swallows, we can see how they make their nests with mud attached under the gutters and attached to the facades of the houses. What is indicated in these cases is to leave the nest in place until the birds emigrate, and then we can remove it with the certainty that we are not doing any damage.

Dirt and mud

It is common for some soil, bird droppings, and other debris to accumulate in the lower part of the gutters, In principle, these are carried by rainwater towards the downspouts, but if we are in an area with little rainfall or during a year of drought, the remains can accumulate in the gutters and will not be evacuated.

When it rains, these become thick mud that does not come out through the downspouts and must be removed manually to prevent a serious obstruction.

As you can see there are many reasons why our gutters can get clogged. Before the obstruction of the gutters leads to a major problem, it is advisable to solve it. Count on the services and recommendations of a professional company specialized in gutter installation to solve any problem that may arise in your water evacuation system.