Gutters. It’s not the sexiest or most exciting thing to discuss. Nevertheless, they are essential to keep your home dry and safe.
Guttering comes in all shapes and sizes. The most common design is U-shaped guttering which collects rainwater as it pours off your roofing. But there are many different shapes and sizes available, all of which do the same job.
Why do you need gutters on your house?
The purpose of guttering is a bit of a mystery to some homeowners, so it is worth reiterating here.
You would think that your roof alone would prevent damp from getting into your home. But water has an annoying habit of getting in whatever way it can. If you didn’t have gutters, it would accumulate around the walls at the base of your home and eventually make its way into the brickwork and foundations. In extreme cases, it could soften the masonry, leading to cracks, subsidence, and full-blown building collapse.
Guttering eliminates these problems by collecting the rainwater and channeling it down a system of pipes into flood drains. The system then transports the water towards local dtorm drains or ditches.
However, having this system in place, alone, is not a perfect solution. While it has a good record for draining water away from homes, it can be prone to failure.
Sometimes, for instance, it can crack as it becomes fatigued, causing rainwater to pour down the sides of walls during storms. Other times, it can become blocked with leaves and debris to the point where it can no longer drain water. Water pooling in the guttering creates additional strain which damages it, leading to early failure.
Failing to keep guttering in good condition can lead to these three problems.
Here are three possible results if you let your gutters fall into disrepair.
1 – Mold
As https://ineedact.com/emergency-services/mold-removal/ points out, mold can become an issue in damp houses. Spores in the air come into contact with damp patches and then use the moisture to thrive and multiply. When this happens, the entire home begins to smell foul and occupants are at a higher risk of developing allergies.
If you have a bad case of mold, you need to take a two-pronged approach. First, you need to fix your guttering to ensure that you eliminate the source of damp. And second, you need to hire pros who understand how to eliminate the existing spores from your accommodation.
2 – Damaged Foundations
Nothing is more important to the safety and stability of your home than the foundations. But when your guttering fails, they can become damp. Over time, they progressively weaker to the point where they can no longer support the superstructure. And that’s when you get serious damage to your property.
Remember, foundations are usually made of concrete or bricks, just like the rest of your house. So when they get wet, they lose their strength, especially when they are supporting a large weight on top.
Dealing with damaged foundations is, fortunately, quite simple according to https://www.houselogic.com/. After you fix the problem, you may just need additional steel piles to ensure that everything remains in place.
3 – Roof Damage
If you fail to remove debris from your gutters at least twice a year, they may clog. Birds and wasps love to nest in your guttering. Leaves, pine needles, and twigs can impede the flow of water. Any number of blockages may occur.
Once this clog happens, it spells big trouble during the winter. In cooler seasons, melting ice and snow from your roof slides off the shingles and into the guttering system. If you have clogs, the water can’t flow away freely, causing an “ice dam.” The blockage of ice grows larger and larger, backing water up through the entire network, blocking your eaves vents, and thus damaging shingles.
Roof replacement is costly. But you can help limit this damage by clearing the system, as needed. Most homes require this twice yearly, but if you live in a heavily forested area, plan on doing this more often.
The Takeaway: Keep Your Gutters in Good Repair to Protect the Integrity of Your Home
The moral of the story is this: if you have guttering, be sure to inspect it annually to ensure that it’s free from debris.
She has a B.S.Ed. in Secondary Education/English and a Spanish Minor. In addition, she holds a Certificates in Natural Health and Herbology from accredited programs. She pursued these natural wellness certifications due to her love for herb gardening.
Despite freelancing to make a living, her love is "all things home."
Deborah grew up in a family that grew a large vegetable garden and a fruit orchard, helping her parents pull weeds and can home-grown foods as part of her childhood. In fact, she had no idea that she could purchase veggies and fruits in pre-packed steel cans until she went to college and made a food run.
Today, she lives in Bertie County, North Carolina, an agricultural rural area with more chickens than people. She lives with her husband and two rescue pets a sweet toy fox terrier and a cat who showed up one day and moved into the house. Together, they enjoy DIY projects, furniture refinishing, gardening, and canning.
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