Preparing Gutters for Seasonal Changes: From Winter to Summer

While it’s only February, spring is just two months away! Soon we’ll say goodbye to Old Man Winter and welcome springtime and everything that comes with it. No more frigid temperatures, brown grass, chances for snow, and being stuck indoors. Before you know it, lawns will be green and lush again, the birds will be chirping, everything will be in bloom, and the outdoor temperatures will be warmer.

While we anxiously await spring’s arrival, there are plenty of household tasks to complete. Some of us will start spring cleaning early, including deep cleaning the interior and exterior of our homes. Preparing our homes for seasonal changes helps us prepare for the change in weather, especially all the rain we’ll get during the spring and summer months.

The gutter system is an exterior component that should always be prepped for seasonal changes. Keep reading to learn about preparing gutters for seasonal changes, specifically from winter to summer.

 

Why Prepare Gutters for Seasonal Changes?

Every season in Central Virginia has different weather patterns, temperatures, and chances for severe weather. Winters are relatively mild, yet there’s always the potential for snowstorms, freezing rain, and subzero temperatures. Spring and summer bring warmer, humid temperatures, higher precipitation totals, and the chance for severe weather.

Regardless of the season, it’s crucial to prep your gutter system for them. Why? Traditional half-round gutters and sectional gutter systems easily trap debris like leaves, pine needles, silt, branches, and even pests year-round. All this debris often builds up, and with every passing day, eventually impeding water flow and forming blockages. Failing to prep your gutter system for seasonal changes can result in damage caused by clogged gutters, like foundation damage, overflowing gutters, roof damage, and more.

Keeping gutters clean is crucial to keep debris to a minimum so the system can function well. Also, cleaning your gutters allows you to inspect your gutter system for early signs of gutter failure, like cracked gutters, leaks, storm damage, etc. A gutter system that has suffered damage can’t function properly and can’t flush water through the system easily or quickly, which is important for our heavy rainfalls here in Lynchburg and surrounding cities.

 

How to Prep Gutters for Summer

Luckily, you can take some measures to reduce clogged gutters and inspect for damage before the seasons go from winter to summer. Below are some ways you can prepare your gutters for seasonal changes, specifically from winter to summer:

 

Clean Your Gutters

We’ve briefly touched on the importance of keeping your gutters clean, but let’s take a deep dive to understand why gutters clog and how to clean them. Gutters clog for several reasons: a blockage formed from debris like leaves, twigs, pine needles, and silt that were left to sit inside the gutters, gaps in a sectional gutter system that’s trapping debris, a pest calling your gutter system home, and more.

Cleaning your gutters at least twice a year will help keep them cleaner as we transition from winter to spring and summer. Clean gutters allow meltwater and stormwater to move through the gutters freely to keep up with large amounts of precipitation. 

Take a look at our ultimate guide to cleaning your gutters for a detailed cleaning guide. Cleaning your gutters yourself is a dangerous risk since you’ll need to use a tall ladder and climb up and down around the perimeter of your home. It’s also very time-consuming. Consider hiring a professional gutter cleaning company like K-Guard / One Stop Home Improvement Shop to clean your gutters and save you time safely.

 

Inspect Your Gutters

You’ll want to inspect your gutters for damage before spring and summer’s arrival. Lynchburg’s rainy season is from March to August, and this year, The 2024 Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts May will produce above-normal rainfall and severe storms. Severe storms, heavy rain, and strong winds can wreak havoc on gutter systems, with the potential to cause severe damage. 

While inspecting your gutters, look for damage like overflowing gutters, sagging gutters, loose bolts/screws, paint chips, rust and corrosion, dents, and so on. If you notice any signs of damage, contact the company that installed your gutters to check if repairing the damage is covered under your warranty or contact a gutter repair service to assess the damage.

 

Consider Replacing Your Gutter System

Sometimes, a gutter system doesn’t need repairs but needs replacing. If your gutter system is approaching 10-15 years old, it’s not flushing water through the system, or it has suffered some damage, it’s time to replace it. Worn and damaged gutters can’t flush water through the gutters quickly, and damage prevents the system from working properly.

When replacing your gutters, you’ll want to choose a durable gutter system that can withstand heavy rain, strong wind gusts, and severe weather. Our weather in Lynchburg and surrounding cities is often humid, with frequent precipitation that can produce heavy rain, hail, and strong wind, all of which can wreak havoc on a low-quality gutter system. Replacing it anytime through summertime will make for a better functioning gutter system for the seasons ahead.

Preparing gutters for seasonal changes is a chore you want to complete sooner rather than later. Our rainy season and humid summers that bring severe storms are both right around the corner, so now is the perfect time to replace your gutters. K-Guard / One Stop Home Improvement Shop offers high-quality seamless gutters that can withstand severe weather and handle large amounts of stormwater and meltwater. 

 

 

If your home needs gutters installed or you need to replace your existing gutters, consider installing seamless gutters and guards from K-Guard / One Stop Home Improvement Shop. Our seamless gutters prevent clogs from forming and pair perfectly with our Xtreme Mesh Gutter Guard, blocking debris from entering the gutter system. We also proudly install the K-Guard System, a complete system with oversized gutters, downspouts, and a curved hood, all of which rapidly keep debris out and water moving through the gutter system. 

K-Guard / One Stop Home Improvement Shop has been installing and repairing gutter systems for decades with tens of thousands of happy customers in Lynchburg and surrounding areas. We can help with all your home improvement needs, whether you need help with an insurance claim or a quote for installing a new roof or gutter system. We’re here to help every step of the way throughout the entire process. Contact us today for a free estimate!