With the hot and humid summer weather in Southeast PA comes the threat of heavy rains and thunderstorms. If you took care of your gutters in the fall, as a good homeowner should, you may think you’re set for another year. However, gutters should really be checked and cleaned twice a year, in early fall and early spring, to prepare for the extreme weather that each season of the year can bring.
If you haven’t yet taken time for this important task, we recommend having it done as soon as possible.
Signs your gutters need attention
We recommend you clean your gutters whether you see problems or not, because once you see a problem, a lot of damage may have already been done. Signs you may have a bigger problem:
- Rainwater is overflowing from the gutters
- Gutters look crooked or sagging
- There are leaks in the gutters when it rains, or icicles hanging from them on cold mornings
- You notice standing water near your foundation
- Mold is growing along the edges of your gutters
- Squirrels and birds like your gutters
Things that can go wrong if gutters aren’t right
Several problems with gutters that we often see are:
- Clogged gutters: Clogging allows water to seep under roofs and behind walls, creating mold and causing wood rot. It can cause waterfalls to land on your foundation and your landscaping, harming plants and doing potentially serious damage to your home.
- Gutter leaks: Old gutters can begin to leak at joints, causing rusting of your gutters and a possible slow dripping along walls that may go unnoticed for too long.
- Backflows: When a gutter is improperly installed, instead of water flowing off the roof into the gutter, it flows from the edge of the roof underneath the roofing material or down the side of the house. As with clogged gutters, serious water damage can occur.
- Improper gutter slopes: Gutters should gently slope toward the downspouts. If they do not slope, the water stands in the gutters. If they slope too much, water gushes and overflows. Additionally, if gutters get loose, they sag outward, again causing a waterfall over the gutters instead of down toward the downspout. Either way, water pours down onto your foundation.
- Clogged or leaky downspouts, drainpipes, or run-off areas that don’t direct water away from the house: When the downspout is the problem, the damage is usually found on the lower level, in the basement, or along the foundation. Water should not just pour out of the downspout and land a foot or two away from the house, thus seeping into the ground right near your foundation and causing untold long-term damage. Rather, it should be directed at least 6 feet away.
- No gutters: Yes, this is a serious problem, because it can lead to all the issues listed above.
There are many seemingly insignificant issues our experts can spot before it’s too late when we come out for a gutter inspection. Having your gutters professionally cleaned twice a year is not very expensive or time-consuming, and it’s a lot safer than trying to do it yourself. It’s also a lot cheaper than the very serious problems that can occur if a gutter problem remains undiagnosed and unfixed.
Most of the water damage repair work we do could have been easily prevented with regular maintenance of gutters, windows, and roofs. We’d like to see you before any damage is done. Call us today at (610) 353-2895 for a free consultation.