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 the structure of your house 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 has not been recently cleared of blockages. 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 foundation. Clogged gutters can cause water to enter the sand, dirt, or clay your home sits on. When it gets too wet, the base may 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 several ways.
Clogged gutters become heavy and can leave your home. If water has flowed down the gutters to the terrace, driveway or sidewalks, it can freeze and cause a risk of slipping. Ensuring that gutters are clean and clear, properly sized and attached to your home are essential steps to avoid the damage that clogged gutters can cause to your home. One of the best ways to prevent a basement from flooding is with an effective gutter system that includes aluminum gutter covers.
These are just some of the gutter clogging problems you can avoid if the gutters are properly maintained. 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. Adding gutter covers to your gutter system can extend the time needed between cleanings, but it won't save you from a basement flood. When the gutter is not cleaned regularly, organic matter tends to accumulate in the gutter system.
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. Wait for a particularly dry and sunny day to arrive, carefully remove debris from the gutters, and then flush the gutter system with water. Stains on the lining or on the downspouts and gutters are a telltale sign that the gutters have overflowed due to a blockage. Fallen gutters on their own aren't particularly damaging to your property as a whole, but as they begin to move away from your roof, the gutters could come off and bring with them some of the outside of your home.
Aside from that, professionals strongly recommend installing gutter protectors as they will help keep debris out of the gutter system. 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. .
