It’s been awhile since I’ve talked about keeping your rain gutters clean, and because clean gutters are so important to the overall “health” of your roof, it’s time this subject is revisited.

Are you one of those homeowners that neglect cleaning your gutters? (Most of us would love to ignore them) If you are, there might come a day when you regret putting it off. This is a job that should be done ideally twice a year, spring and fall, but absolutely at a minimum of once a year. Rain gutters that aren’t kept clean, maintained and functioning optimally can cause the following inconvenient and expensive problems:

• Ice dams that can force water into your attic and up into the roofing materials

• Clogged and heavy gutters can pull away from the house causing damage to your roof and house structure

• Wood rot on your siding and wood trim

• Damaged paint

• Insect infestations

• Foundation and basement damage

• Damage to your landscaping

In the Seattle area, the rainy season has begun, and for many homeowners, hopefully not you, the rain won’t be staying outside. Due to different situations, leaks will allow the outdoor weather to become indoor weather.

Roof leaks are more than a nuisance to homeowners, they’re frustrating, destructive and expensive. One family whose roof began leaking, in about 3 areas, had cedar ceilings in the living room where the leaks began. The leaks left water stains that couldn’t be removed unless the ceiling was replaced. Obviously the homeowners were very unhappy with the resulting look in their living room.

Benefits of a shingle roof…

If your home has a shingle roof, some of the benefits are:

• They are lighter in weight than some other roofing materials and won’t put as much stress on your home’s structure.

• Shingles are durable, which give them a longer life span.

• One of the main benefits is the fact they are typically installed on a sloped roof, which encourages the water to exit the roof quickly and efficiently.

Nevertheless, opportunities for leaks are not eliminated. So maintenance and inspections are still necessary. Understanding how and where leaks begin, can help you either prevent or locate more quickly where the trouble spots might be.

Where to look if your roof is leaking:

Sometimes you may have to do a little detective work to isolate out exactly where the leak is coming from due to the fact that leaks don’t always manifest inside your home at the same point they began on the outside of your home. Besides the fact that roofs just wear out, here are some other reasons and places to look.

1. Leaks around objects installed on or in your roof: There are numerous things that can be installed on your roof, each having been sealed upon installation. But over time, those seals can fail and allow water to find its way inside.