You may be throwing money down the drain, but not much else.

In fact, homeowners who do not perform the requisite fall maintenance on their eavestrough system are asking for a future headache(migraine maybe) — not to mention a hit in the pocketbook.

“The biggest mistake in terms of eavestroughs that people make is not cleaning them in the late fall,” says Laurier Belanger, owner of Gutter Express.

“There’s no point in doing it in the summer.

“The leaves fall in large quantities in the late fall, so that’s the time to take care of the situation.”

The ramifications of not doing so can be many and costly.

Leaves and other organic matter gather and clog the homes external drainage system.

Then when the cold temperatures of winter hit, problems happen.

“The whole inside of the eavestrough will become, in essence, a block of ice,” Belanger says.

“The end result in the spring, when temperatures rise, is that the roof, fascia board and the corners of the eavestrough system can be damaged.”

With proper maintenance, an eavestrough system should last homeowners anywhere from 25 to 30 years.

Aside from late fall, homeowners should endeavor to clean their gutters every spring, as well.

“The worst (debris) is in fall, but when spring seedlings split, if you have enough trees on your property, problems could also happen.”

All this good advice on eavestrough maintenance led me to have a colonic last week and I’ll just say that it was a very positive experience

Remember “Without annual cleaning (and good food choices), the longevity of the gutters is compromised.”