New gutters make your home look more modern and streamlined while allowing you to drain excess water from your foundation at the same time. Caring for your new gutters will help make them last longer.

Here are some tips to help you maintain your new gutters after they have been installed. With proper care and maintenance, you can expect your rain gutters to last upwards of 20 years or longer (depending on the type of gutters you have).

Have Your Gutters Professionally Cleaned

While you should spray your gutters with a high-powered hose on a regular basis to remove branches, fecal matter from birds and other animals, leaves, and other debris on a regular basis, you should also have your gutters professionally cleaned twice a year. Your gutter specialist uses specific tools and chemicals to rid your gutter of mildew, mold, and other debris that you may have missed during your regular maintenance.

Trim Branches Near Your Gutters

Branches that hang over your gutters can pose a threat to your newly installed drainage system. Branches can not only break off in a storm and damage your gutters (not to mention your roof) but also make it easier for critters like cats, birds, and even vermin to get into your gutters and create nests.

Trim branches away from your gutters so that you can protect your roof from falling leaves, pine needles, and other debris. Keep an eye on branches throughout the year so that you can trim them as they grow too close to your roof and gutter system.

Maintain Your Gutters During the Summer

Summertime is ideal for checking your gutters for loose or bent parts. Check your gutters for loose or missing screws, bent or missing fasteners, and other signs of damage or wear. Your gutter installation specialist can make small repairs for you to prepare your gutters for rainy or wintry seasons.

Keep Ice From Forming in Your Gutters

Ice dams are patches of ice that form in gutters when the temperatures are so cold that the water actually pools and freezes in your gutter system. When ice dams are present, your gutters can be damaged in a few ways: the weight of the ice can bear down on fasteners and screws or even bend gutter sections, or gutters can get completely blocked, causing even more ice to build up.

If you believe that you have ice in your gutters, call your gutter installation expert. Do not climb a ladder and check on your gutters by yourself as you can accidentally damage your gutter system by leaning on it or even hurt yourself.

Keep Items Away from Gutters

As mentioned above, you should never place a ladder on or near your gutters. Other items to keep away from gutters include decorative lighting (such as Christmas lights). Your gutters should never be used to hang potted plants or other exterior decor items. Do not use your downspout as a support beam for growing vines or other plants, as foliage can weigh down the spout and pull it away from your home.

You should be able to enjoy your newly installed gutters for a few decades or longer as long as you maintain them. With the help of your gutter installation specialist, your gutters should be a beautiful and functional addition to your home for many years to come.

Talk to your gutter contractor about how to care for the type of gutters you have. Our gutter installation experts are skilled in helping you install and maintain your gutters. Call us today to schedule an appointment for professionally gutter cleaning or repair or to discuss downspout options.