Gutter cleaning and Atlanta Home Insurance

September 17th, 2009 by Lloyd Pro Group Inc.
 
219633384 35e52615a4 o Gutter cleaning and Atlanta Home Insurance

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Affordable Atlanta home insurance and gutter cleaning … what is the connection?

It is black, slimey and quietly damaging your homes foundation while you read this. It is also a breeding ground for mosquitoes, termites and mice. What are we talking about?

We are talking about the debris that is sitting in your gutters. It’s true, while you are reading this article, leaves, pine straw and other wind swept debris are silently collecting in your gutters and clogging your downspouts.

While gutter cleaning is one of most dreaded things for a home owner to do, (this husband can testify to that), it is also one of the most important things you can do to maintain and protect the beauty and value of your home.

Why is gutter cleaning so important?

When your gutters get full of leaves, twigs and straw they become heavy and eventually can even pull off their optimal pitch. In fact, resources state that a gutter that is full of water can weigh over 300 lbs! While we all know that water flows downhill, an off pitch gutter could cause water to just sit there, back up and even overflow.

Now how does that impact your home?

As the gutters water overflows, it begins to leaks behind the gutter. This will cause facia and soffits to rot and can eventually travel into your home.

Now, I don’t need to remind you of the seriousness of this, do I?  You already know that overflowing water is the culprit of:

  • Mold growth inside your homes and ceilings
  • Wet insulation which has no “R” value any loger to keep your home warm in the water
  • Termites love wet drywall and insulation. If you live in Ga, it is not a question of will you have termites problems…It is only a matter of when. Wet building materials attract them like flies to honey.
  • Water penetration into the foundation can lead to all different kinds of structual problems down the road
  • Rotting deck timbers
  • Mosquito breeding grounds. (They just love standing water, don’t they?)
  • Ruining of your beautiful landscape, bushes, and flower beds

Each of these can contribute to an Atlanta home insurance nightmare down the road. Don’t forget, you will also have to share these problems as a part of full disclosure when you eventually try to sell your home.

Like Rodney Dangerfield, gutters get little respect. They are the unsung hero of protection of our home. Unfortunately, many of us adopt a “no news is good news” attitude regarding them.

As a result, we may tend to only get our gutters cleaned only when they notice a problem with their leaders and gutters. For example you may visibly see pine straw hanging over the top of the gutter, or you may see little or no water coming down the spout.

Unfortunately, it may be too late & by that time, our home may have already suffered water damage. Again, I don’t need to remind you how expensive it is to tear out water damaged siding, drywall and insulation. Or even worse to have a termite infestation with all of its rotted wood repaired.

Its expensive. Really expensive.

The funny thing is that it’s not very expensive to have them professionally cleaned. Its generally about a hundred dollars to do an average home by a professional gutter cleaning company with Atlanta liability insurance.
A hundred dollars of preventive maintenance is pocket change compared with costly repairs and some peace of mind.

The funny thing about it, is that for home owners who adopt the attitude of “well I’ll just turn it in on my insurance” for every little nickle and dime repair, they may be in for a rude awakening for abusing the system when their rates go up. Then they wish they would have wished they would have done a little preventive maintenance.

Can I do clean my gutters myself?

Well that depends.

  • Are you afraid of hieghts? The average roof is 20 ft tall. Falling off of a roof is one of the most dangerous things that can happen to you.
  • Do you have a tall ladder? By the time you rent one, you might as well call a pro.
  • Do you have a strong back to move and carry a fully extended 24 -32 ft ladder?
  • Do you have the experience of working off a tall ladder on a regular basis? (Hint: Its murder on your feet and calfs!)
  • Did you know that you could ruin your gutters if you lean your ladder against them? Professionals have the equipment and experience to protect your gutters.

In conclusion, you will be suprised at the gobs of dirt, gravel from roofing shingles, pod seeds, straw, leaves, twigs, bugs and “things that are growing” up there. That is why, regular maintenance of your gutters is essential to the health of your home! 

How often should I clean my gutters?

You may be suprised that your gutters should be cleaned at a minimum of twice a year to protect your biggest investment, your families home. Specialists tell us that for the best protection they should actually be cleaned in March, and August, as well as during the 3 biggest fall months of October,
November and December before the winter freeze. Service plans are usually available for the best savings. You can compare a service plan to an Georgia insurance plan.  You pay a little each year so that you are protected against major problems later.

If you are looking to have your gutters cleaned professionally, we are currently researching & writing a consumers guide on what to look for when hiring a gutter cleaner. If you would like a copy of it when we are completed then, leave us a comment below & we will send it to you when it is available.

In the mean while, do you have a favorite gutter cleaning story? Let us know what lesssons you learned.

Please share them with us in the comment section below.

Lloyd Pro Group has been helping our clients with Atlanta home insurance through out Georgia Including: Duluth, Tucker, Lilburn, Lawrenceville, Buford, Norcross, Braselton, Gwinnett county, Decatur,Dekalb county, Stone Mountain, Lithonia, Conyers, Forrest Park, Jonesboro,Douglasville, Douglas county, Villa Rica, Austell, Hiram, Powder Springs, Lithia Springs, Smyrna, Marrietta, Vinings, Dunwoody, Roswell, Atlanta, and Cobb county Ga

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Posted at 2:58 pm: 1 comment

One response to “Gutter cleaning and Atlanta Home Insurance”

  1. Bobbie Flick writes:

    I wold like a copy of your consumer guide on gutter cleaning when it is finished. Thank You!

    @ September 29th, 2009 at 08:49

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