How Gutters Protect the Foundation of Your Home
While gutters come with their own set of problems – attracting nesting birds and requiring the occasional unclogging, for example – they are an essential feature for most homes to allow them to drain water away from your home, and especially from your home’s foundation.
Why does water need to be drained away from your home’s foundation?
One of the biggest culprits of foundation damage is water. When you don’t have a sound gutter system to drain water away from your home, it can pool around the perimeter of your home and have a number of detrimental effects on your foundation and home as a result.
When soil is saturated with water, it can put pressure on the foundation of a house, pushing it inward – in some cases, even causing the foundation to crack – or it can disrupt the structure of any below-ground levels of your home, such as a basement or cellar, causing the walls to lean inwards.
Moreover, once the foundation becomes cracked, a house is more likely to endure flooding – and damp or mold as a consequence – as the pooling water can seep in through the breaks in the foundation.
When the soil dries, the pressure on the foundation is relieved, and as a result, chimneys and walls may be affected, whether they begin to lean or crack.
How do gutters keep water away from the foundation of your home?
Having a properly installed and well-maintained gutter system with a functional downspout is the best safeguard against water-related foundation problems.
An effective gutter system will catch water or snow as it runs off your roof, collecting in the gutters before being directed through a downspout and away from the property. This ensures that the water is disabled from running down the walls of your home – which can be eroded in the process – and pooling at the bottom of the house, resulting in potential damage to the foundation.
The water from gutters are directed to a downspout, which transports the moisture to an area away from your house, where it can’t do any harm to your walls or foundation and ensuring that excess water isn’t retained around the perimeter of your home, causing erosion.
Moreover, suppose the area around your house tends to retain water. In that case, it might be a good idea to extend your gutter system further away to ensure that any water collected is taken well away from your house, thus preventing any erosion.
New Look Roof specializes in roofing, siding, windows, gutters, and repairs. We serve the greater Louisville area and pride ourselves on being industry-leading in materials, education, training, and craftsmanship. With over three generations in the roofing industry you can bet that your experience at New Look Roof will exceed your expectations. We invite all potential clients to fill out a form online or call us directly at 502.341.4415!