Your gutter system has one purpose: to make sure when it rains, your home doesn’t experience any water damage. It does this by collecting the rain rolling down your roof and dispersing it through downspouts safely away from your house. However, there are two problems which can prevent your gutter system from doing its job. The first is if your gutters begin to overflow. The second is if your gutters begin to pull away from your roof. Understanding what kind of damage can result from these two issues and how they happen will help you understand why gutter maintenance and repairs are so important.
What Happens When Your Gutters Overflow?
Your gutter system might begin to overflow if it’s unable to redistribute rainwater away from your home quickly enough. This can happen in severe rainstorms on occasion. However, your gutters should be more than capable of dispersing rainwater without overflowing most of the time. If your gutters are constantly overflowing, it can cause these issues:
- Cause damage to your exterior siding – Your gutters should keep rainwater away from your siding. If they overflow, water can run down your siding causing serious water damage should it leak through your siding.
- Leak into joints and windows – In addition to causing damage to your siding, rainwater can also leak into the joints and windows. There it can cause rot and mold growth, both of which can damage your home.
- Cause Erosion – When water builds up on your lawn it can lead to erosion. This can cause damage to any flowers or plants which are near your home.
- Flood Your Basement – In addition to causing erosion, any water which builds up around your foundation could end up leaking into your basement. This is even more likely to happen if the ground slopes slightly towards your basement or you have windows in your basement.
- Damage Your Foundation – If your foundation is constantly exposed to rainwater, it can lead to water damage which could compromise its structural integrity. Repairing a damaged foundation can be incredibly expensive.
How to Prevent Your Gutters From Overflowing
Due to the problems overflowing gutters can cause, you’ll want to take precautions to prevent them from overflowing. You can do so in the following ways:
- Clean Your Gutters Regularly – When debris, such as leaves and twigs, gather in your gutters, they’ll block the flow of water, causing it to overflow. By cleaning your gutters regularly, you’ll prevent clogs from forming.
- Consider Installing Gutter Guards – To avoid having to clean your gutters regularly, consider installing gutter guards. These will prevent debris from collecting, thereby keeping your gutters clear.
Why Do Gutters Pull Away From Your Roof?
When your gutters pull away from your roof, it creates a gap between the roof and the gutters. Instead of collecting in your gutters, rainwater rolling down your roof will fall through this gap. The following are the reasons why this might be happening to your gutter system:
- Poor Installation – If the gutters aren’t installed correctly, they could pull away more easily. For example, if the screws or nails used to attach the gutters weren’t properly inserted or if the gutters weren’t installed at the correct slope.
- Excessive Weight – Your gutter system was not designed to hold a lot of weight. Water collecting in your gutters should flow down towards the downspouts, which means it shouldn’t collect. If it does, whether it’s because the gutters weren’t installed correctly or because there’s a clog causing water to overflow, the weight of the water will cause strain on your gutter system. Eventually, the weight will cause the gutters to pull away.
- Wear and Tear – Sometimes, general wear and tear can cause your gutters to pull away. This happens if the nails or screws holding the gutters in place begin to loosen, or the holes through which they are inserted widen. Older gutter systems are more likely to experience such wear and tear.
How Can Detached Gutters Cause Damage?
There are two major problems detached gutters can lead to. These include:
- Water Damage – Because of the gap created between the gutters and the roof, rainwater rolling down your roof will slide off the side. As a result, your home’s siding, windows, and foundation will all be exposed to potential water leaks and damage. Not to mention there will be a greater risk of erosion in the area.
- Additional Gutter Damage – If one section of your gutter system begins pulling away, it means the adjacent sections will be experiencing more strain and will be more likely to detach as well. This could essentially cause a domino effect damaging a significant part of your gutter system.
Schedule Gutter Repairs or Replacement in Central Indiana Today
If your gutters have begun to detach from your roof or they have begun to overflow, then be sure to contact us at DWC Roofing to schedule gutter repairs or replacement today.
