Sometimes we have customers that believe that having their gutters cleaned is a household expense, not a household investment and this is mainly because they just don’t understand that having your gutters cleaned is a preventative measure that will hold off having to replace your guttering by years if not a decade.
Why is this so?
Basically, when you have debris fall into your gutters, it will break down to form a type of sludge that sits in the bottom of your gutters. This sludge is what will rust your gutters. Now we all know that as your gutters rust, they basically eat holes into your gutters so now your gutters can no longer perform the duty they were made for. Once this is at a level of total non-functioning gutters, you need to replace your gutters.
Let’s look at the financial difference here.
If you had a standard, one level, 3 bedroom home, to have your gutters cleaned twice a year, it will cost around $500. Most homes have annual gutter cleaning if there are not too many trees in the vicinity,
For this same property, to have the gutters replaced, it will cost you $5,000+.
So if for 10 years, you would pay $5,000 in gutter cleaning, or less if you had an annual gutter clean. You probably still wouldn’t need to replace your guttering at this stage.
If in that same 10 year period, you did nothing, never cleaned your gutters, then you’d probably have to replace all of your guttering every 3 or 4 years. That means in 10 years, you would have already replaced the gutters twice at a cost of $10,000 and you are only a year or so off having to replace them again at an additional $5,000. Ouch!
Moisture and dampness is an issue due to our climate, in Hobart. Lichen and moss accumulates in the Hobart gutters that don’t see much of the sun during winter. This build up in your gutters may prevent the flow of rain water moving through the gutter. The moss and lichen work free and end up in the down pipe and could cause blockages, hopefully easy enough to unblock at the first bend but if it works its way underground then plumbers are needed. A most costly experience.
Don’t think, “If only I had my gutters cleaned?”
The other point here is, we have only talked about the gutters. What if in that 10 years when you did nothing and your gutters got blocked or were leaking, what is the possible extra damage to your home with water damage? What would the cost of that be? What about the stress? Did you know that if you haven’t had your gutters cleaned and blocked gutters are the cause of the water damage, then the insurance may not cover your claim?
Then also, if you are not getting your gutters cleaned regularly, you can end up with a pest issue. Pests love gutters full of debris and sludge because it is a like a supermarket at their doorstep. Pests will eat in the gutters and live in your ceiling.
So next time you wonder if it is worth investing in gutter cleaning, then maybe you will remember that getting your gutters cleaned is a lot cheaper over time than getting your gutters replaced, risking void insurance claims for water damage or having to live with pests in your roof.
Need a quote for your gutter cleaning – call Gutter-Vac Tasmania on 1300 654 253.
