Neglecting Your Gutters Could Cost You Thousands
Many Hobart homeowners think gutters are simply a drainage system, an extension of their indoor plumbing. However, the reality is that gutters are one of the most crucial components of your home, protecting it from water damage! This is especially true in Hobart’s wet coastal climate. If you neglect your gutters, they can cause serious and expensive problems that threaten your home’s structure, foundations, and even its resale value.
In this article, we’ll explain how gutters protect your home, the high cost of neglecting them, and why regular Hobart gutter cleaning is a vital investment in protecting your home from water damage.
Your Gutters Are More Than Just A Drainage System
So many Hobart homeowners don’t even give their gutters a second thought until it’s too late! They view them just as channels that guide rainwater away from your roof. But they actually do way more than that! When properly cared for, your gutters can:
- Deter pests from breeding in stagnant water and decomposing leaves.
- Divert thousands of litres of rainwater away from your home
- Prevent soil erosion around your home
- Protect your home’s paint, plaster and external finishes
- Stop water pooling around your home
How Gutters Can Either Damage or Protect Your Home
Whether you maintain your gutter system will determine whether it protects your home or causes serious damage. When your gutters are blocked, water will overflow, seeping into your fascia boards, walls, and siding. This can lead to rot and mould. However, if you keep your gutters clean, they will channel water off your roof and safely away from your property!
Hobart experiences a lot of rain, and if your gutters aren’t functioning properly, this rain can saturate the ground, leading to cracking, subsidence or damage around your home’s footing. But when your gutters are well-maintained, they direct this water away from your home’s footings, preventing water damage!
Clean gutters also protect your landscape! When gutters overflow, they can wash out your garden beds, erode the soil, and damage your paving or decking. Maintaining your gutters prevents this from happening.
When water can’t flow because your gutters are clogged with debris, it can back up into your eaves and roof tiles. From here, it can leak into your ceiling cavities and wall spaces, causing damp patches, staining, mould and mildew! Keeping your gutters well-maintained helps water flow freely through and away from your home, preventing these nasty issues.
Finally, clean gutters deter pests! When your gutters are full of leaves, dirt, and other debris, they create the ideal home for ants, spiders, mosquitoes, and even rodents. But keeping your gutters nice and clean keeps these unwanted guests away.
Common Hobart Gutter Problems
High Leaf Fall
Hobart is home to many native trees, especially in older suburbs like Sandy Bay, West Hobart, and South Hobart. These leafy suburbs look beautiful, but when autumn comes around, the falling leaves can cause serious issues! Leaves from gum trees, okas and other large trees can quickly clog your gutters and downpipes. If you don’t regularly clean your Hobart gutters, leafy debris will block the flow of water, leading to overflowing gutters and water damage.
Coastal Air
Homes along the coast in Hobart are constantly exposed to salt sea air. This salty air accelerates the corrosion of metal guttering, especially when moisture builds up from blocked channels. If left unaddressed, this can lead to rust holes, leaks, and structural weakness, all of which require costly repairs or even a full gutter replacement.
Frequent Storms
Hobart experiences regular storms that bring heavy rain, strong winds, and flying debris. These conditions can be extremely damaging to your gutters, especially if they’re already blocked! Stormwater can spill over the sides and back up under your roofline, causing serious damage to your walls, fascia boards and internal ceilings.
Moss Growth
Hobart’s cool, damp climate creates the ideal conditions for moss, lichen and algae to grow in your gutters. This buildup holds onto moisture and can block water from flowing freely through your gutters. It can also make your gutters heavier, leading to sagging or collapse if not cleaned regularly.
Blocked Downpipes
Even if your gutters appear clean, debris may still be lurking inside your downpipes. Leaves, twigs, and other debris can accumulate inside your downpipes, completely blocking the water flow. This causes water to back up and spill out, leading to damp walls and leaks.
Sludge Build-Up
When organic matter, such as leaves and pollen, breaks down in your gutters, it forms a thick, sticky sludge. This sludge settles at the bottom, trapping water and accelerating corrosion. It’s often missed during light surface cleaning, which is why professional Hobart gutter cleaning is essential to maintain proper drainage.
The High Cost of Neglecting Your Gutters
The issues caused by neglected gutters aren’t just inconvenient; they’re expensive! The structural damage caused by blocked gutters, such as rotted fascia and roof timbers, can lead to repairs costing up to $12,000, depending on the severity. Mould growth, bubbling paint and ceiling stains can cost between $800 and $7000 in remediation and repainting.
If water pools around the base of your home and causes foundational damage, the structural repair needed can cost up to $50,000! Your landscaping can also suffer, with flooded beds, eroded soil and damaged paving costing between $1500 and $6000 to restore. As if all this wasn’t bad enough, poor gutter maintenance can reduce your property’s resale value, and even void your insurance claims if the damage was preventable.
Regular Hobart gutter cleaning is an easy investment that can help you avoid these expensive issues!
How Often Should You Clean Your Gutters in Hobart?
For most homes in Hobart, gutter cleaning should be carried out at least twice a year. The best time to clean out gutters is in late autumn, after the leaves have fallen, and in early spring, before the heavy rainstorms start!
If your home is located in a leafy suburb, such as Lenah Valley, Fern Tree, Taroona, or Ridgeway, it may need quarterly Hobart gutter cleaning. The same goes for homes by the coast, in suburbs such as Sanday Bay, Howrah, Monbtagu Bay and Kingston Beach.
However, no matter what time of year it is, if you notice:
- Water spilling over the edges during rain
- Visible plants, moss or weeds growing from gutters
- Sagging or detached sections
- Staining on walls beneath gutters
- Pests or insects nesting near rooflines
These are all signs your gutters need attention! If you have the necessary tools, skills, and safety equipment, you can carry out DIY gutter cleaning, ensuring you take the necessary precautions when working at height. Or you can hire our professional Hobart gutter cleaning team to save you time and effort!
What A Professional Gutter Clean Should Include
A professional Hobart gutter clean should always include:
- Thorough removal of all debris (leaves, moss, and sludge)
- Flushing downpipes with water
- Checking for loose brackets, leaks, and rust
- Realignment of gutters to ensure proper flow
- Assessment of gutter guard systems
- Cleanup of surrounding areas
A thorough Hobart gutter cleaning service that includes all these steps will ensure your gutters are well-maintained and continue to protect your home from the costly consequences of neglect!
What To Ask Before Hiring A Gutter Cleaner
If you’re looking for a professional Hobart gutter cleaning service, here is a handy checklist you can use. Make sure your gutter cleaner ticks all these boxes:
- Are they insured and safety trained?
- Do they offer before-and-after photos?
- Will they inspect for damage and minor repairs?
- Do they flush downpipes and check flow?
- Is pricing transparent and inclusive?
- Do they offer a guarantee or follow-up service?
At Hobart Gutter Clean, we tick all these boxes! That’s why homeowners across Hobart rely on us to keep their gutters clean and functioning well all year round.
Contact Us Today For A Gutter Inspection!
If you’re concerned about your gutters or haven’t had them cleaned in a while, don’t wait for the next storm to cause expensive damage! Our professional team offers gutter cleaning, inspections, maintenance, and even solar panel cleaning.
Whether you need residential, commercial or strata gutter cleaning, we can help. We are Hobart’s trusted local experts for gutter maintenance. Here’s why homeowners, business and strata managers choose our Hobart gutter cleaning services:
Local Expertise: We have years of experience cleaning Hobart gutters and understand the unique climate and weather conditions that affect them.
Fully Insured: Our entire team is fully insured and WHS compliant. Our Public Liability Insurance covers us up to 20 million dollars, so you can be sure your home is in safe hands.
Competitive Prices: Our gutter cleaning services are affordable, with no hidden costs!
Flexible Scheduling: You can book a gutter clean when it’s convenient for you. We ensure our services cause minimal disruption to your home life or business.
Our friendly team always show up on time and gets the job done professionally and quickly! We accept cards or cash, making it easy for you to pay. And we guarantee satisfaction with our high-quality gutter cleaning! Our happy clients are a testament to this.
We proudly service all suburbs across Hobart, including Kingborough Area, Huon Valley Area, Eastern Shore, Sandy Bay, Battery Point, Fern Tree, Kingston, Blackmans Bay, Taroona, New Town, Lenah Valley, Moonah, Derwent Park, Bellerive, Rosny, Rose Bay, Lindisfarne, Geilston Bay, Warrane, Howrah, Tranmere, Oakdowns, Lauderdale, Acton Park, Cambridge, Midway Point, Seven Mile Beach and Richmond.
Contact us today at or via our contact form for a FREE, no-obligation quote, and let us keep your gutters clean!
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