Regular maintenance and repair are a common part of homeownership. One of the most important things you can do to keep your home in good condition is to take preventative measures. Your home’s gutter system is easy to overlook. However, it provides essential protection for your home and property. A working gutter system prevents several issues from occurring.
Why Your Gutters Are Important
The key purpose of your gutters is to direct water away from your home and property. Damaged or aging gutters can fail at doing this effectively, leading to potential damage and expensive repairs. When your gutters are functioning as they should, they protect your home in the following ways.
- Prevent Roof Damage: a working gutter system pulls water away from your roof preventing pooling and long-term damage to your roof. This can lead to both external damage and leaks if water is allowed to collect on your roof.
- Prevent External Damage: without proper drainage, water can run down the sides of your home from the edges of the roof, damaging the exterior. Without water being collected and drained it can damage the paint, cause wood to rot, and also lead to the wearing away of stone, brick, and other external materials.
- Prevent Basement Leaks: proper drainage directs water away from your home, preventing it from leaking into the basement. Without a working gutter system, water can flow downwards towards the corners of your home, leaking into the basement and also damaging the foundation of your home.
- Prevent Damage Toy Your Landscaping: as with your roof, water can also pool in various spots on your property. Water can easily collect in low-lying points leading to damage to your yard and associated landscape if it is not safely directed away to a safe location for drainage.
Signs You Need New Gutters
As your gutters age, they can become less efficient, putting your home at risk of damage. Any combination of the below issues is a sign you should have your gutters replaced as soon as possible.
- Water Not Draining Properly: if you notice issues such as your drainage pipes only having a slow trickle or water not draining at all or the toilet is not flushing, there could be damage or clogging in your gutter system.
- Physical Damage: signs of physical damage such as denting, holes, and rust are signs you need new gutters. Over time, exposure to the elements, physical damage, and accidents can render your gutters unable to properly drain water from your roof.
- Leaks: leaks in general a bad sign and could have an assortment of causes. Depending on where the leaks are located, this can also damage your roof, home, or property as it can allow water to collect in these areas.
- Pests: aging gutters are often home to an assortment of damaging and even dangerous test animals and insects. Pests that live in gutters can include mosquitos, raccoons, certain types of birds, and even snakes. An easy way to prevent animal intrusion when replacing your gutters is to make use of covered gutters which prevent nesting.
- Clogs: if your home has trees, handing over your roof, and you have open gutters, this can easily lead to clogs. Over time, this can cause water backup and the continued impact of nuts and branches can damage your gutter system. Installing a covered gutter system such as the K-Guard Leaf-Free Gutter System can prevent debris from collecting in your gutters without blocking drainage.
Final Thoughts
When reviewing common home repair items like removing broken screws or maintaining appliances, be sure to give your gutters a careful review. As a preventive system, it’s easy to ignore any issues with your gutters. With gutters, if you don’t regularly inspect them you may only become aware there is an issue due to other damage becoming noticeable. Regular inspections and professional assistance can tell you when you need new gutters and prevent expensive repairs.
