Water damage to your home due to full rain gutters

Though a lot of people get their gutters cleaned in the late autumn after the leaves have fallen, spring is also an important time to have them cleaned for maintenance which may not seem obvious, but spring rains can cause water damage to your home in many ways. Gutters move a lot of water, in fact one inch of water on a 1,000 sf roof brings 600 gallons of water into the gutters and downspouts.  If your gutters have obstructions or are filled with debris from leaves or pine needles, your home can definitely develop water damage.

Overflowing gutters due to clogs, spill water onto the exterior walls. While exterior siding is made to resist rain and splashing, it is not designed to resist a continuous deluge of water. Water can seep behind siding and deteriorate the wooden framing and saturate interior materials and even trigger the growth of mold.

Another problem is that overflowing gutters saturates the ground at the foundation of the home. This saturation can penetrate cracks and pores in the foundation and cause deterioration, particularly if the ground is freezing and thawing. It also can fill window wells and seep in around the windows causing interior damage to the basement.

Also, the weight of gutters full of leaves and debris, with the added weight of sitting water can pull the connective fascia loose from the roof structure. This can cause water to enter the attic and seep down into walls and living spaces below. This moisture in the insulation of the walls and attic can also cause mold to grow.

Gutter cleaning is a necessary and important task to help avoid the many problems that water damage can cause. Call us to get a bid and to schedule an appointment.