April showers may bring May flowers, but they can also bring leaking roofs, wet basements, and washed out landscaping. A key to preventing these rainy season headaches is having gutters that are in good shape and ready to usher water away from your home. As we enter into the rainiest time of year here in central Tennessee, it’s time to ask yourself: are your gutters ready? Here’s our checklist for ensuring that your gutters can handle spring.
Clean your gutters
One of the most common causes of gutter failure is blockage. If your gutters are clogged, water will pool in the gutters then overflow, dumping water down the sides of your home and depositing it next to your home’s foundation. To make sure your gutters are ready for spring, take the time to make sure they are clean. Even though you might have cleared out leaves last fall, winter’s melting snow and high winds can bring more debris to your gutters, and animals might have found their way in to build nests or leave behind other debris that could clog gutters.
Secure sagging gutters
The snow and ice that fill your gutters during the winter can weigh them down and cause them to sag. To make sure your gutters are ready for spring showers, take the time to secure any loose sections of gutter to your home so that the rain runs directly from the roof into the gutters, rather than flooding the area between the gutter and the roof, which can cause water damage along with your home’s roofline. If you do notice sagging gutters in need of repair, be sure to check the fascia where the gutters are attached; sometimes sagging gutters have nothing to do with the gutter supports and are instead a sign that the fascia has begun to rot.
Look for leaks
Ice and freezing temperatures also can damage the gutters themselves. Inspect the gutters for holes or cracks that allow water to leak out, rather than following the gutters’ path to the downspouts. The best time to check for leaks is during a rainstorm, so you can see the water dripping from the gutters.
Be sure gutter extenders and splash pads are in place
If your gutter’s downspouts deposit the water collected by your gutters directly next to your home, you’re in trouble. Check your gutters’ downspouts to be sure that there are gutter extenders or splash pads in place to channel the water from your gutters and safely away from your home.
After you perform this bit of springtime gutter maintenance, ask yourself: are your gutters up to the challenge of the rainy season? Even with the maintenance you’ve performed, if your gutters are cracked, sagging or leaking, it could be time for new gutters. If your gutters aren’t ready to protect your home from April’s showers, call The Gutterman of TN to schedule a new gutter consultation today!
The gutters on your home are there for a reason: They usher in the water from your roofline safely away from your home. When your gutters become clogged, they can’t-do their job, and all of that rooftop runoff can cause major damage in and around your home. Here are some of the issues clogged rain gutters can cause:
Failing Foundation
Your gutter’s No. 1 purpose is to ensure that water from your roofline doesn’t have the chance to collect along your home’s foundation. When your gutters are clogged, the water overflows and deposits near the foundation of your home. A flooded foundation can shift, crack and even fail.
Flooded Basement
The water pouring from your gutters can have another consequence: Basement flooding. If the water your gutters deposit near your home can’t safely drain away, chances are, that water will find its way into your basement.
Roof Damage
The water that builds up in clogged gutters can back up into your roofline. It can cause your shingles and underlying roof supports to weaken and rot. In the end, clogged gutters can jeopardize the function of your roof and shorten its lifespan.
Rotting Fascia, Siding, Doors and Windows
The water that’s trapped in your gutters has to go somewhere. As it flows over the edges of the gutter, it comes into contact with all of your home’s features, including fascia boards, siding, windows, and doors. That water can lead to rotting and weakening of your home’s exterior features.
Mold
Everyone knows that moisture brings mold. From your roofline to your basement, water exposure due to clogged gutters can cause mold growth in your home.
Ruined landscaping
Plants and landscaping features can only take so much water. Water dumping out of your clogged gutters can kill flowers, shrubs, and trees, and it can wash away mulch and decorative retaining walls. If it’s allowed to persist, the water from clogged gutters can even damage sidewalks and driveways.
Ice dams
Ice dams, or a build-up of ice on the edge of a roof, is a threat to any home. That threat increases, however, when water can’t escape clogged gutters. The heavy ice within the gutters can cause them to bow and pull away from the home’s roofline. Even worse, as the lower layers of ice dams melt, the water finds its way under your roof and into your home, where it can cause mold, rot and structural damage.
The key to preventing the issue that comes from clogged gutters is to keep gutters clear debris. That means cleaning your gutters at least twice per year. Or, you can avoid this dreaded task and protect your home from the dangers of clogged gutters with SafeGuard Gutter Guards. SafeGuard Gutter Guards keep debris out of your gutters, so the water from your roofline continues to travel through the gutters and away from your home’s structure season after season. Call The Gutterman of TN to learn more about protecting your home with Gutter Guards.
Recent Comments