Keeping your gutters free of debris is an essential part of home maintenance, playing a crucial role in protecting your home’s structural integrity.
Neglected gutters can lead to serious water damage issues, affecting both the roof and the foundation of your home.
Here we share maintenance tips to help prevent roof tiles from clogging your gutters, ensuring your gutter system functions efficiently throughout the year.
Install Gutter Guards
This is the easiest solution as it prevents debris from entering your gutters, including roof tiles.
The guards snap over your eavestrough system for easy, affordable installation and the perforated cover allows water to flow into the gutters debris-free.
Guards also provide maintenance-free gutters so no more climbing up that ladder in the spring and fall. It’s a worthwhile investment to consider as it can also provide an impressive ROI when it comes time to sell your home.
People love low-maintenance homes!
Inspect Your Gutters After Heavy Winds
Gutter clogging is more likely following a big storm with heavy winds.
It’s a good home maintenance practice to check your entire house for damage after a major weather event as things like missing tiles, damaged eavestroughs and drainage issues can increase the risk of water damage to your home.
Check your gutters for large branches, tree limbs, and tiles blown off your own or neighbor’s property so you can remove them right away and prevent clogs.
Inspect and Maintain Your Roof Annually
Annual roof inspections by a professional roofer not only identify issues such as loose tiles that can clog your gutters but also allow your entire roofing system is sound.
Roofers can also offer drainage solutions if they find your eavestroughs are not functioning properly. Your roofers will perform the following important annual roofing maintenance:
- Cleaning roof gutters
- Replacing damaged or missing shingles
- Repairing flashing
- Repairing caulking and sealing damage
- Washing away biological growth like algae and moss
- Replacing rotted-out wood
- Chimney repairs (or recommending chimney repairs if they don’t specialize in masonry)
Always Hire Qualified Roofers
Ensuring your roof tiles are installed properly, to begin with, is another way to prevent roofing tiles from clogging your gutters.
Hiring qualified roofers will ensure your roof is installed using industry best practices and high-quality materials to keep your shingles intact. Improper installation increases the risk of tiles sliding into your gutters after a snowfall or being blown off your roof when the weather gets rough.
Remove Overhanging Vegetation
Tree branches that come in contact with your roof can loosen tiles causing them to shift and slide into your gutters.
The constant movement of tree branches causes friction that can damage tiles and lift roofing materials. Keeping your trees and other vegetation on your property trimmed will prevent loose tiles and tree materials from landing in your gutters and damaging your home.
Proper roofing installation and maintenance are the most important steps in preventing tiles from clogging your gutters. Annual roof inspections in hand with tree and vegetation management will also help prevent roof and eavestrough damage.
We also recommend installing gutter guards to prevent debris from landing in your eavestrough system with the bonus of reducing the number of items on your “honey do” list.
Consistent and proactive gutter maintenance is key to preserving the health of your home. These steps not only protect your home from potential damage but also add to the convenience and efficiency of your home maintenance routine.
The Len Roofing & Remodeling Difference
When we say that we’re a top-quality home remodeling and roofing company that serves the North Shore and surrounding Chicagoland area, we back it up. We do more than simply cover the basics: we show up on time and nail it. For more information or to schedule a consultation, call 847-768-6000 or visit our contact page.
