Your gutters do a lot more than you might think. Sure, they keep sheets of water from pouring off your house and soaking you every time you walk out into the rain, but they also protect the structural integrity of your home. Without gutters redirecting the path of water during rainstorms, that water falls directly in front of your home, seeps under the foundation, and starts to create serious problems. If it’s left neglected, it can crack your foundation so severely that you might as well move.
Luckily, if you’re just slightly vigilant, you can prevent that and many other problems.
Your gutters give you several signs that they’re not dispersing water properly, and today, we’re going to talk about that.
1: Debris Has Clogged Your Gutters
First and foremost, the most common problem is that you have too much debris in your gutters, and it’s blocking water from moving throughout the gutter system properly. When this happens, the water can’t pass through the track smoothly, it builds up, and it pours over in a thick sheet right before the blockage. If the blockage is at the opening of the downspout, it can create a large sheet of water across the length of the guttering.
This typically happens because you haven’t cleaned your gutters properly and debris built up, or something large and dense fell into the gutters and created the blockage.
You can prevent this by checking your gutters regularly, and if there is a big storm, you should check your gutters an extra time.
If you spot any debris, it’s your job to clean it out.
2: Breakage in Your Gutter System
If you have neglected cleaning, or if your gutters were hit hard during a storm, there might be a section that is broken. This is typically easy to spot, but it can be difficult to properly fix. This typically occurs when you have a lot of debris adding weight in a specific area, or when the water has corroded your gutters to the point that holes form.
The fix for this can be different depending on the problem. If the gutters just got bent a little and a gap formed, you can attempt to bend it back or create a new seal. However, if there is a hole in the material or serious damage, repairing it without replacing a large portion of the gutters might be difficult.
You can help prevent this by properly cleaning your gutters and looking for signs of corrosion regularly to allow you to repair the area before it becomes a problem.
Preventing These Issues Long-Term
Of course, properly maintaining your gutters is a lot of work. It can also be physically strenuous or even impossible for older individuals and those at a physical disadvantage.
Luckily, you can make it a lot easier and prevent both of these common gutter problems without having to worry about doing nearly as much physical work. Gutter guards and services provided by In the Gutter protect your gutters from debris and lessen the amount of maintenance needed.