When you own a home, you will spend a lot of time and money on maintenance. One of those maintenance items that is at least a yearly occurrence is taking care of your gutters and downspouts. Allowing your gutters and/or downspouts to get clogged with leaves, branches, dirt and other debris can lead to a host of problems. So to help ensure that doesn’t happen, there are some things you can do to keep your gutters and downspouts clear.

As everyone knows, a gallon of water weighs 8 pounds. Now think of a heavy rainfall and how many gallons of water will wind up in your rain gutters and downspouts at once. If they are clogged with debris, your gutter system could wind up supporting thousands of pounds of water and debris during a heavy rainstorm. This could cause damage or a collapse of your gutter system. In addition, gutters and downspouts that are clogged with debris don’t do an adequate job of directing rainwater away from your home. This can lead to leaks in your roof or to water getting into your home through the foundation.

So, one important home maintenance task to perform is to clean out your gutters and downspouts. Gutter cleaning is not as bad as it sounds. If your gutters aren’t too clogged with debris, you usually can just clean them out with a garden hose. If the debris has really built up, you might have to remove some of the debris, which can be unpleasant, but it is necessary. It’s generally accepted that you need to clean your gutters at least twice a year, and a good time to do that is in the spring and fall.

If you don’t want to have to clean your gutters, one option is gutter covers. If you are wondering, “How do I choose gutter covers?”, there plenty of options out there. All gutter covers are some variation on a screen that allows water in but keeps all but the smallest pieces of debris out. The question of how do I choose gutter covers is best answered by a professional. Have a company come out and give you an estimate to know what it will cost to have a gutter system installed.