A gutter runs unseen across the edge of your house. Because of this, gutter cleaning, proper maintenance and repair can often drop down the list of household tasks. It doesn’t mean that you aren’t aware that it needs doing, it’s just that running a home takes a lot of work and other things take priority.
However, proper gutter maintenance, cleaning and repair are crucial to protect your home. Gutters hold more power over your home’s structure than you think and can lead to damage beyond repair if you aren’t careful.
Here at Ned Stevens, we aim to educate you about the importance of your gutters and how you can prevent damage to your home with a simple gutter cleaning once or twice a year.
What is a gutter for?
Gutters are the most basic and traditional form of roof drainage, designed to collect water that accumulates on your home’s roof and drain it away from your house. They then dispose of that water into an underground pipe or sewer system.
Usually made from plastic or metal, gutters are attached to your house and form an integral part of the structure of your house.
Certain types of gutters may require professional cleaning. There are special tools required for repair, maintenance and cleaning, so a licensed professional is recommended to prevent any damage and ensure the job is done thoroughly.
How do clogged or damaged gutters damage your home’s foundations?
When gutters are clogged, they can’t do their job properly. Water will simply sit in the trough of the gutter, gaining more weight as time goes on, and pulling away from its fixtures. There are many ways gutters affect the condition of your home’s foundation. Some examples of the damage it can cause are as follows?
Water Damage.
Gutters collect any rainfall that lands on your roof and helps divert it away from your home. If water is left to collect in the gutters, it can weaken the foundations of the home. Water damage is expensive to repair and can alter the structure of your house forever.
Water can also gather on the roof, leaking through, and weakening the strength of the roof. This can lead to the roof collapsing and becoming dangerous to yourself and your family.
When the gutter is full of leaves, dirt and debris, they can’t redirect the water in the way they should, leaving it to find its way through cracks in the walls of the home. It’s also heavy, weighing down on the gutter and pulling it away from its fixtures.
Insect Infestations.
Insects can have a damaging effect on your home’s foundations. Dirty and dark gutters are the perfect conditions for insects to breed and they’re small enough to make their way into your home. Before you know it, you’re calling pest control.
If they’re left alone, it’s possible that the damage they do can greatly impact the strength of your home’s foundations, leaving weak walls or wood damage.
Shorten the lifespan of your gutters.
Proper gutter care reduces the risk of irreparable damage and inevitably needing to replace them. The pipes can swell leading to breakage and improper drainage as well as costly repairs.
When damage happens to your gutters, they can’t protect your home properly. If they begin to come away from their fixtures, they become a health problem, with the risk of falling on you, your family or passers-by.
The more care you take of your gutters, the less likely it will be that they will damage your home. To reduce the need for expensive repairs to the foundation of your home, proper gutter protection and gutter cleaning are needed.
How to prevent clogged or damaged gutters?
- Regularly check gutters for debris. This can be done by walking around your house and checking all the gutters, or it can be done from inside by looking out of your window.
- Clean and repair clogged or damaged gutters when necessary. You should clean them regularly and repair any damage that has occurred, such as holes caused by rodents gnawing through them. If this isn’t something you feel comfortable doing yourself, a professional is recommended.
- Keep gutters free of leaves, twigs and other debris as these things can easily get stuck in the gutter’s downspout causing it to overflow or clog up with mud, which could cause leaks inside your home that may not become visible until years later when they become too big to ignore anymore!
The Takeaway.
If you don’t want to cause irreparable damage to your home’s foundations, keep your gutters clear and strong with proper repair, cleaning and maintenance. Remember, gutters are designed to drive water away from your home. With clogged or damaged gutters, this becomes impossible. If you notice any damage in your gutters, get them repaired immediately.
If you have any questions regarding your gutters, please don’t hesitate to get in contact with us. For more information on the importance of your gutters, read more of our blogs.
