How Does Gutter Maintenance Help Your Exterior Paint?
Did you know that stretching your legs is a great way to help relieve lower back pain? Who knew?! In fact, there are many kinds of activities that have benefits in areas that might seem unrelated. A great example of that is gutter cleaning and maintenance. Not only does it keep your gutters working properly, but it also helps protect your exterior paint! So, how does that work?
Keep the Water Flowing… Away From the House!
The gutters’ (and downspouts’) job is an important one, keeping rain and melting snow from puddling around your home’s foundation, where it would seep in and cause all kinds of havoc. However, the gutters also help keep rain, snow, and ice off of other painted surfaces on your home exterior.
You see, your exterior paint is designed to handle some moisture, such as normal humidity, and blowing snow and rain. However, regular heavy exposure will cause the paint to fail, and problems will occur.
If your gutters or downspouts are clogged, even partially, then during heavy rains, the water will overflow from the gutter, and often, this will create heavy runoff down your siding or on your fascia. Also, gutters that have become partially detached or damaged, or gutters that were improperly installed to begin with, can cause water to pool and run in unexpected directions.
Gutter guards are a good way to prevent clogs. Otherwise, yearly gutter cleaning is vital for protecting your exterior paint. If the gutters are damaged or improperly installed, hire a professional to ensure they are fixed the right way.
Ice Dams
One thing that can happen in winter is that snow melts on a mild day, then freezes in your gutter at night. The ice in the gutter might stay for many days, so that more melting snow has nowhere to go, and it stays in the gutter, on the fascia, or on the siding. This runoff then refreezes, making the problem bigger. These “ice dams” are very bad for your gutters, your paint, and your roof.
The best way to prevent ice dams is with heat tape, a simple cable that is thermostatically controlled, which turns on during freezing temperatures to melt snow and ice. This keeps water flowing as it should, even during the freezing months, so that your gutters, your roof, and your exterior paint are protected.
Exterior Painting for Northern Virginia and Maryland
If your exterior paint has been damaged by water runoff or simply by the effects of time, Williams Professional Painting would be delighted to serve you. Based in Alexandria, Virginia, we operate in Maryland, the Washington, D.C. region, and northern Virginia. In addition to exterior painting, we also provide interior painting, cabinet refinishing, pressure washing, carpentry, popcorn ceiling texture removal, and much more.
Contact Williams Professional Painting today for a free estimate. We look forward to hearing from you!
