Clogged Gutter Problems Cause Roof Damage. Clogged gutters can cause cracks and changes in sidewalks and driveways. When gutters become clogged, water will not be able to properly divert from your home. Instead, water will spill down the side of the gutters, causing a number of different problems, such as foundation damage, structural problems, mold, and basement flooding.
These problems can be costly and cost homeowners thousands of dollars in damages. Clogged gutters will cause water to accumulate and settle on the roof. That water will seep into your home and damage your shingles, roof and more. It can also cause the gutter system to deform and become heavy before it detaches from the structure of your house and takes part of the roof with it.
When gutters are clogged and temperatures drop below freezing, ice causes problems in several ways. Clogged gutters become heavy and can leave your home. If water has flowed down the gutters to the terrace, driveway or sidewalks, it can freeze and cause a risk of slipping. You may not have a basement, but every house has a foundation.
Clogged gutters can cause water to enter the sand, dirt, or clay your home sits on. When it gets too wet, the base may change, causing cracking and buckling. Clogged gutters can cause excess water to overflow and build up around the foundation of your home. If left unchecked, this excess water can cause cracking of the base.
When the foundations of your home are damaged, they can cause structural damage to your home. It is common for gutters to attach to the wood fascia molding that protects the edges of your roof. A clogged gutter can become so heavy when filled with rainwater that it tears off the fascia of the house or breaks holes in the wood. This damage can create a direct route for water to enter under your roof and into your home, where it can cause serious damage over time.
Keeping gutters clean throughout the year is highly recommended to preserve your home's fascia. Clogged gutters and downspouts will allow water to fill the rain gutter and begin to drench the roof. Your gutter system should be cleaned every season to ensure that your home is properly protected against costly water-related damage. These are just some of the gutter clogging problems you can avoid if the gutters are properly maintained.
Adding gutter covers to your gutter system can extend the time needed between cleanings, but it won't save you from a basement flood. Leaving aside the impact of clogged gutters in your roof, other damage to your home could include the walls, as the gutters separate from the structure and, as we will see below, its foundations. If there is enough debris left in the gutters for long periods of time, excess weight will begin to wear down the gutter itself. Stains on the lining or on the downspouts and gutters are a telltale sign that the gutters have overflowed due to a blockage.
It's much easier to keep gutters clean than paying a large amount for foundation repairs later on. This is because cleaning gutters can help prevent anything from honeycombs to a bad foundation. A professional gutter cleaner may seem expensive, but consider how expensive it would be if you left your clogged gutter problems unchecked. You can prevent this from happening by continuing to clean the gutters during each season of the year.
Standing water in gutters is a big problem, which can cause gutter fittings to separate from the wooden fascia to which they are connected and damage the wood. Clean gutters and downspouts divert water from your home and foundation to places where it can be easily absorbed into the soil or drainage system. .
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