Shingle Granules in Gutters on Cumming, GA Homes
Shingle granules in gutters on Cumming homes look like coarse, dark sand. On a lot of houses they show up every single time the gutters get cleaned.
A little is normal. A pile that keeps growing, though, can tell you something about the roof, and since clearing out shingle grit is part of the gutter cleaning plans Gutters 4 Less offers in Cumming, we see a lot of it.
What Shingle Granules in Gutters Are
Granules are the small mineral chips pressed into the top of asphalt shingles. They protect the asphalt from the sun, and they give the roof its color.
Rain knocks the loose ones down into the gutter. They're heavier than leaves, so they sink to the bottom and build up near the downspout outlets long after the leaves have dried and blown away.
When Granules in Your Gutters Are Normal
New roofs shed the most. Shingles come from the factory with extra loose granules, and the first few rains wash them off.
That usually slows down on its own. A light layer after a big storm is also pretty common on an older roof, and if the amount stays about the same from cleaning to cleaning, we don't usually worry about it.
Signs Shingle Granule Buildup Points to a Roof Problem
What gets our attention is a change. When the amount keeps growing, or it's heavy in just one area, these are the patterns we point out:
- Lots of granules back in the gutter soon after a cleaning
- A thick layer on one side of the house only
- Big piles at the bottom of a downspout or in the splash area
- Dark or bare-looking patches on the shingles you can see from the ground
- A sudden jump after a hailstorm
Any of those is a good reason to have a roofer take a look. We can show you the pattern in the gutter, but the shape the shingles are in is a roofing question.
How Shingle Granules Affect Your Cumming Gutters
Granules are heavy, and they slow the water down. Mix them with pine needles and oak leaves and you get a wet, packed layer that's a lot harder to flush out than leaves alone.
That weight pulls on the hangers. Once a run starts to sag it holds even more water and grit, and wet debris sitting against the back of the gutter can reach the board behind it, which is how a lot of fascia rot from clogged gutters on Cumming homes gets started.
Grit also packs into elbows and the bottom of downspouts. If a downspout drains slowly after rain, there's a good chance there's grit stuck inside.
What We Do With Shingle Grit During a Gutter Cleaning
On a cleaning visit in Cumming, we clear the gutters, the top elbows, and the downspouts, and the grit comes out with everything else. If we spot damage while we're up there, or a granule pattern that points to the roof, we tell you right away.
Grit that has packed hard into an elbow sometimes needs the downspout cleared from the bottom as well as the top. We check that water runs clear through the whole run before calling a section done.
Reading What Collects in the Gutters
Granules are one of the few things in a gutter that tell you about the roof as well as the gutter. Keeping an eye on how much shows up, and where, gives you an early heads-up on both.
Want the gutters cleared and the buildup checked? Gutters 4 Less can set up a visit, and our
gutter cleaning service in Cumming will show you how much grit is coming off the roof.
You might also like
Gutters 4 Less Blog
