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. If gutters are clogged, they tend to stay moist for a long time. Moss and algae love to grow in damp places. Blurred green gutters not only look bad, but they can also break and cause problems in other parts of your roofing system.
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. When gutters are clogged, more water will be present, as it cannot drain properly.
This significantly increases the risk of ice dams forming, which, in turn, can cause water to build up when it melts and seeps into your home. 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. Downspouts consist of tubes that extend from the gutter to the ground and are generally installed at a low point along a gutter system. While you can install gutter guards yourself, it is advisable to hire a professional who is trained in how to install gutter protectors, as it requires some skill and precision.
If you live in a location that experiences heavy rain and a lot of leaves during the fall, it might be worth cleaning gutters quarterly. Wait for a particularly dry and sunny day to arrive, carefully remove debris from the gutters, and then flush the gutter system with water. 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. Adding gutter covers to your gutter system can extend the time needed between cleanings, but it won't save you from a basement flood.
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. Often homeowners remember to clean the gutters, but forget about the downspouts, which means that water flows smoothly from the roof through the gutters and then gets stuck in a clogged downpipe. This is because cleaning gutters can help prevent anything from honeycombs to a bad foundation. Cleaning the gutters in your home is one of the tasks that many homeowners sometimes ignore or forget, but in reality it is a very important task that does not require much time, effort or money.
One of the best ways to prevent a basement from flooding is with an effective gutter system that includes aluminum gutter covers. 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. If you encounter any of the problems mentioned above, or if you are not sure that you can clean your gutters properly and thoroughly, you can always call a professional and leave it to them. .
