By MATT MAURY

Driving around the Puget Sound region during the holiday season¹s evenings, one would think that gutters were put on homes for the purpose of attaching icicle lights to them.

Seems like no one minds getting out a ladder on a couple of days (usually cold and damp!) in December to put up and take down the lights.

Yet, the same homeowner is reluctant to climb up and clean the gutters more than once a year. That isn¹t often enough in many cases!

It is important to realize that a home¹s gutter system offers effective protection from winter storm damage.

Still, many homeowners totally overlook the need for constant attention to their gutters care and cleaning. A homeowner should regularly inspect and clean all four elements of water flow off a house: the roof, the gutters, the downspouts, the run-off away from the building.

THE ROOF ‹ It should be kept clean and free of debris. This is particularly true in roof valleys, where leaves and needles build up, creating little dams. Many people think that a good ³gully-washing² rain is all that is needed to clean a roof. But, in the meantime, there is the risk of water damage inside the home every time it rains. This is because the flashing in a valley extends only a short distance under the shingles on each side of it. A dam formed by leaves and needles forces rain water under the shingles and, sometimes, over the edges of the valley, on to the insulation and sheetrock below.

THE GUTTERS ‹ They also need to be kept free of debris through regular cleaning. During the fall, many people clean their gutters when there are leaves visible over the edges. But leaves and needles continue to build up again and again, after each cleaning during the fall. It is especially important to check gutters¹ cleanliness after each rainy, windy fall storm.

Now, when the ladder is up to take down the icicle lights, is a good time to do a final cleaning for the season. It is also a good time to check for leaks and make temporary repairs until next summer.

THE DOWNSPOUTS ‹ These need to be checked regularly to assure there is no blockage to prevent water drainage from a gutter. Running a garden hose into each downspout can do this. If there is a blockage, pushing the hose into the downspout may loosen it. If this fails, a rooter service may be necessary.

If water cannot drain properly through a downspout, it will accumulate in the gutter until it runs over the edge. Depending on the roofline of a home, there is a potential for serious damage if the problem is not corrected. And, in the event of freezing weather, a gutter full of frozen water has been known to pull away and fall off a building.

THE RUN-OFF ‹ At the bottom of the downspout is where the water is deposited. It is critical that the water flows away from the building. Many older homes have cement pads at the bottom of downspouts. These should be inspected regularly to assure that they have not been moved from a position directly the water flow away from the home. Some people have installed four-inch flexible vinyl pipe on their downspouts to direct the water flow. If this has been done, the pipe must be cleaned regularly. All other types of drainage systems should be checked to assure that a sustained flow of water can be handled.