Gutters protect your home from water damage, help prevent structural damage, can help increase the total value of your home, and in the end, end up saving you a lot of money and time. Downspouts that are too short are practically useless for keeping water out of your home. The same thing happens if the gutters are broken, rusted, leaking, are separating from the roof line, or are simply missing. Properly maintained rain gutters can remove water from the roof the moment it rains.
If the gutters are not working optimally, this will cause water to accumulate in any area of the roof that is low or flat. Over time, standing water will damage roof tiles and allow water to seep through the roof and enter the building. Gutters loaded with debris, such as rotting leaves and twigs, simply aren't working to their full capacity. If a gutter is too clogged to allow water to flow away from a building or house, water can reach the foundation.
Flower beds, gardens and trees located near the perimeter of the house are also affected when the gutter remains unmaintained. When you start checking off your “to do” list for spring cleaning, be sure to add gutter cleaning to the list. You'll also want to make sure that the gutters themselves aren't rusted, so they'll need to be inspected more closely. Frost King has a variety of gutter cleaning accessories with patented designs to help your gutters and downspouts operate at maximum efficiency.
One way to know how effective gutters are at redirecting water is to observe them during a heavy storm. Cleaning your home's gutters every spring and fall is a smart way to anticipate potential water damage. However, if left unattended for a while, the gutters will soon form cracks and holes that allow water to seep through. Short gutters must be equipped with gutter extensions to ensure that they drain water as far from the house as possible.
Factors that influence the price of professional services include whether or not the gutter surrounds all four sides of the house and whether or not the roof is sloped steeply; if so, costs increase by up to 15 percent. However, when gutters don't work properly, because they clog or crack, water can seep into the ground adjacent to the building's foundation, causing structural damage and water leaks through walls. Clogged gutters can cause a myriad of water problems that can damage the lining, foundation, and walls inside the home. Technically, the clogging of the gutter causes accumulated rainwater to spill down the sides of the gutter, down the lining and accumulating around the foundation of the house.
