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Why Is Gutter Cleaning Important?

March 1, 2023

Published by Tony Waldron on February 22, 2023

IS SPRING GUTTER CLEANING NECESSARY?

Spring gutter cleaning is often required for homes with certain types of trees around the home. In Maryland and much of the north east , there are many common trees drop seed pods, pollen, fruits, or spring blossoms into gutter systems. The bad news is that the spring debris winds up in the gutters just as the heavy spring rains are starting to come in. The result of the rain coming when the gutters are filled with debris is clogs in the gutter system which lead to gutter leaks and overflows.

WHY SPRING GUTTER CLEANING IS IMPORTANT

The purpose of gutter systems is to divert rain water away from your home’s exterior and foundation. However when gutters or downspouts become clogged the water is not able to drain properly, which results in leaks and overflows. If not taken care of promptly the heavy weight from the water begins to pull the gutters loose from their brackets. Or sometimes the water weight can even pull the fascia boards and gutters right off of the home.

Most common damages to gutter systems that require repairs are the direct results of neglecting the debris in the gutters for an extended period. In addition most common fascia board or soffit repairs are the direct results of not taking care of those same gutter repairs. Therefore, neglecting your gutters by allowing debris to pile up will lead to gutter repairs and if those repairs are not taken care of they will lead to much more expensive wood repairs.

SPRING GUTTER CLEANING

Ever wonder why or how the gutters get clogged in the spring when most trees are just starting to grow new green leaves? That’s because everything that lands on the roof after the fall season and throughout winter will end up in the gutter systems. On top of that you have seed pods and pollen being dropped from many types of trees.

Spring season is the rain season in the North East part of the country. Every year between April and May we typically will have one or two weeks of relentless rain. This yearly monsoon officially kicks off the start of spring season for gutter companies, as many homeowners come to find that their gutters are clogged from debris that accumulated over the winter.

There are many common types of trees that drop seed pods, helicopters, spring blossoms, fruits, or pollen through early spring that cause problems with the gutters. If you have these types of trees close to the home than you are likely familiar with how much debris can build up. Therefore it is recommended to monitor the debris accumulation in your gutters and roofing eave throughout winter and early spring.

COMMON TREE TYPES THAT DROP SPRING DEBRIS INTO GUTTERS

MAPLE
ELM
ASH
CHERRY BLOSSOMS
MAGNOLIA
OAK
PINE

-SAMARA FRUIT (AKA HELICOPTERS)-

helicopters in gutter

Arguably the most common cause of Spring Gutter Cleaning around the country and possibly the world are trees with Samara Fruit type of seeds. More commonly known as helicopters or whirlybirds, these seed pods get their name from having wing shapes that spin the pods in a circular motion when falling. This helicopter like spin allows the seed pod to sail through the air when falling from trees.

Nature designed helicopter seeds specifically to be able to travel more distance than other trees. Especially during windy days where they can travel much further with the right wind. Unfortunately for homeowners this means that trees like Maples, Elms, or Ashes are able to cause problems with your gutters from as far as 50 to 100 feet away. Depending on how tall tree is will determine how far the helicopters are able to reach. The taller the tree than the further away the helicopters will be able to sail.

spring gutter cleaning helicopters

The bad news about helicopters is that they tend to clump together in the downspouts if there is any type of larger debris lodged inside. Also if helicopters are left in the gutters through the rain season and into summer they can sprout and cause even more problems.

For homes with excessive amounts of helicopter seed pods that land in the gutters in March and April, we suggest an early spring gutter cleaning. Typically as close to before monsoon season as possible.

-SEED PODS-

elm tree seeds

Other than the winged samara seeds mentioned above, there are many other types of trees that drop seed pods. The difference is that without the wings the seeds are only able to drop straight down for the most part. Therefore these types of trees are only a nuisance if they are within close proximity of the home.

Just as with the helicopter style seed pods, if left in the gutters through the rain season these seeds will also sprout and grow in the gutters. For homes with excessive seed pod accumulation into the gutters, we suggest early spring to clear everything out before the rain.

ash tree seeds

-POLLEN-

Another type of debris from trees that causes problems with the gutter systems is pollen. Similar to seed pods, pollen sacs also drop from trees all throughout spring season in an attempt to reproduce. Typically pollen sacs are not large enough to form a clog within the downspouts.

However pollen can cause different problems to the gutter systems by wearing down the outer shell of the aluminum. Pollen is highly acidic and when activated by water or moisture the acidic mix is able to slowly wear away at gutters. Which results in rust or corrosion forming on the gutters. In fact the only way for aluminum gutters to rust is when the aluminum has been compromised due to acidic pollen in the gutters.

spring pollen

As previously mentioned pollen by itself will not cause a lot of problems or wear and tear on the gutters. In a well maintained gutter system the pollen will flush out the next time it rains. The problems occur when the pollen is not able to drain out during the next rain. Clogged gutters or downspouts will prevent the water and gutter debris from draining from the gutters when it rains. In addition gutter pitch also plays a major role. If the gutters are not sloped properly the debris gets stuck in the gutters and ultimately water gets trapped with this debris.

Since pollen is such an enemy to the gutter system, a spring gutter cleaning is highly suggested if your home is positioned under a tree that drops a lot of pollen sacs. For homes with high pollen accumulations we suggest a late spring cleaning to make sure everything is clear.

-EARLY SPRING BLOSSOMS-

cherry blossoms

There are several common types of trees that develop spring blossoms as early as February or March. One of the most common to our region are called Cherry Blossoms. These vibrant blossoms begin to fall as early as March and April which makes way for the new leaves to sprout. The good news is most early spring blossom trees are relatively short. Therefore their blossoms typically only make it into first story gutter systems unless the tree is very close to the home.

For homes with excessive spring blossom trees close to the home, an early spring gutter cleaning is recommended to clear everything before the rain season.

-PINE TREES-

spring gutter debris

Arguably the hardest type of tree to figure out the exact schedule for gutter cleanings is when you have tall pine trees close to the home. Pine trees drop debris such as pine needles and pine cones throughout the year. Certain pine trees will shed their needles throughout winter and early spring that end up in the gutter systems. For the most part light amounts of pine needles are able to flush through the gutter system automatically during each rain. However if the gutters are not sloped enough or if the accumulation is just too much, the pine needles are able to clump together and pile up in the gutters.

When it comes to spring gutter cleaning schedules and overhanging pine trees, we suggest to monitor the accumulation and plan your cleaning once there is accumulation along the roofing eave.

plants grow from pine needles in gutter

-OVERHANGING TREES-

Any type of tree that directly overhangs a home is going to drop limbs and branches all year round. The closer and taller the trees are, the more stuff that will end up on the roof. More limbs fall during winter due to winds and snow and ice than any other season. Therefore it is important to keep an eye on branches, limbs, pine cones, nuts or berries, or anything else that may fall off of the tree and wind up in the gutters.

Homes with excessive overhanging trees may require a spring gutter cleaning as early as March depending on how much debris makes it’s way into the gutter system.

-SIGNS SPRING GUTTER CLEANING IS NEEDED-

There are a few signs that homeowners are able to keep an eye out for that let you know that it is time to have the gutters cleaned.

-DOWNSPOUT CLOGS-

The most obvious sign that a gutter cleaning is needed is when water does not flow out of the downspouts during rain. During rain all of the downspouts should be operating about evenly. If one of the downspouts has little to no water flowing out of it, then that is a direct indication that the downspout is clogged. Other signs of clogged downspouts are when water shoots from any seams like shown in the video below.

-PILES OF DEBRIS VISIBLE-

If you can see piles of leaves or other debris sticking out of the gutters from the ground, then it is time to clean out the gutters. In addition piles of debris along the roofing eave is an indication that the gutters too full of debris to accept any more into the system. Therefore the debris will pile up along the roof line because it has nowhere to go.

-GUTTER OVERFLOW-

Another indication of clogs in the gutter system are when water overflows the gutters near the downspout. When the water is not able to drain properly it must go somewhere. Unfortunately that somewhere often means overflowing the gutters as this is the only option.

water leaking near downspout

-ANNUAL GUTTER CLEANING SERVICES-

annual gutter cleaning

The easiest method for maintaining a proper gutter cleaning schedule (for homeowners that are not able to clean the gutters themselves) is to schedule Annual Services with a local gutter company. Yearly Gutter Cleaning Service Plans are the equivalent of putting your gutter maintenance on auto-pilot. All you have to do is set the dates and the gutter service provider will take care of the rest. In addition to how convenient automated services are, most companies offer discounts for yearly service plans.

To learn more about how an annual gutter cleaning schedule could save you time, stress, and money CLICK HERE.

-CONCLUSION-

Whether or not your home will require a spring gutter cleaning service 100% depends on if you have certain trees close to your home. Namely those that drop debris in the winter or early spring. How close they are and how tall they grow both also play a major role in spring debris accumulation. Homes with heavy accumulation before the April rain may require an earlier spring cleaning. Whereas homes without those certain trees will need a late spring cleaning in order to be clear until fall.

Keep an eye out for signs such as downspouts leaking or not flowing properly or piles of debris accumulation along the roofing eave.

plants grow in helicopters