When gutters become clogged, water will not be able to properly divert from your home. Instead, water will spill down the side of the gutters, causing a number of different problems, such as foundation damage, structural problems, mold, and basement flooding. Clogged gutters will cause water to accumulate and settle on the roof. That water will seep into your home and damage your shingles, roof and more.
It can also cause the gutter system to deform and become heavy before it detaches from your home structure and takes part of the roof with it. When it's cold, ice dams (also known as frozen water clogs) can form in any gutter, especially if that gutter hasn't been cleaned of blockages recently. Any residue makes it much easier for ice to form from water at the molecular level. Rotting wood, which can be caused by clogged channels, is irresistible to insects, including termites and carpenter ants, that live in humid environments and the wood that feed on them.
If left untreated, a termite infestation can cause serious structural damage to your home, depending on the amount of wood they consume. You may not have a basement, but every house has a base. Clogged gutters can cause water to enter the sand, dirt, or clay your home sits on. When it gets too wet, the base can change, causing cracking and buckling.
Clogged gutters can cause excess water to overflow and build up around the foundation of your home. If left unchecked, this excess water can cause cracking of the base. When the foundations of your home are damaged, they can cause structural damage to your home. When gutters are clogged and temperatures drop below freezing, ice causes problems in a number of ways.
Clogged gutters become heavy and can detach from your home. If water has flowed down the gutters to the terrace, driveway or sidewalks, it can freeze and cause a risk of slipping. When gutters become clogged, water flows down the side of the house, exposing the foundation to excessive moisture. Over time, this can cause the base to crack, and before long, you'll have water in your basement.
A damp basement is an open invitation to mold, and mold can lead to several health problems. It's much easier to clean gutters than drying and repairing a leaking basement. If the gutters are made of lower quality materials or if they are allowed to sag long enough, the damage will be excessive and the gutters may need to be replaced or repaired. Stains on the lining or on the downspouts and gutters are a telltale sign that the gutters have overflowed due to a blockage.
If you have an entrance, you risk damage or destruction in the same way if you don't regularly clean the gutters to avoid blockages. These are just some of the gutter clogging problems you can avoid if the gutters are properly maintained. You will then have to replace the gutters, which is more costly and time consuming than simply cleaning them. One of the best ways to avoid a flooded basement is with an effective gutter system that includes aluminum gutter covers.
A professional gutter cleaner may seem expensive, but consider how expensive it would be if you left your clogged gutter problems unchecked. Leaving aside the impact of clogged gutters in your roof, other damage to your home could include the walls, as the gutters separate from the structure and, as we will see below, its foundations. Clogged gutter problems cause serious damage and danger to you and your home, damage and hazards that you can avoid (along with the hassle), if you install gutter guards. If you live in a place where there is a lot of rain and a lot of leaves during the fall, it might be worth cleaning your gutters quarterly.
Fallen gutters alone aren't particularly damaging to your property as a whole, but as they begin to move away from the roof, the gutter could come off and bring some of the outside of your home with it. Adding gutter covers to your gutter system can extend the time needed between cleanings, but it won't save you from a basement flood. . .
