6 Problems Caused by Clogged, Sagging, or Overflowing Gutters

Gutters collect the rainwater shedding from your roof and divert it away from your home and its foundation. However, if your gutters are sagging, clogged, or pulling away from your home they can cause more damage than good.

A lot of water comes off the roof of your home. A 2,500 square foot roof will shed 1,550 gallons of water in a 1-inch rain!  So, what does that mean in our area? Check out the table below to see the average rainfall, and how much water a 2,500 square foot roof sheds each year given the average rainfall.

So, what happens to all that water if you do not have gutters or if your gutters are sagging, overflowing, or pulling away from your home? The water cascades off your roof and dumps into your yard, around your foundation, your deck, and into your flower beds. Poor gutters can cause several problems for your home including:

1. Fascia damage - Water that overflows around your gutters and gets behind them can cause wood rot in the fascia. The fascia is a board that covers the end of your roof’s rafters.

2. Soil erosion - The water being dumped from overflowing gutters or off your roof pelts the ground eroding the soil around your home and creating a trench and mud puddles against your foundation or in your yard.

3. Landscaping damage - Overflowing gutters dump water into your flower beds, overwatering, battering, and washing away plants, mulch, and soil.

4. Foundation damage - Pooling water around your home’s foundation can cause soil erosion or soften the soil supporting your home. Soft soil, such as clay soils which retain water, can no longer support the weight of your home, leading to foundation settlement.

5. Flooding basement or crawl space - As water pools against the home’s foundation and seeps into the soil around it, water will continue to follow the path of least resistance. It seeps through porous concrete, brick, and block basement and crawl space walls. Once inside, this water raises relative humidity, results in musty or mildewy odors, and can even lead to mold and mildew growth.

6. Mold and mildew growth - Water trapped in your crawl space or basement can raise the relative humidity of these spaces and in warmer months facilitates the growth of mold and mildew on the wood substructures, such as the joists and subfloor, and paper backing of fiberglass insulation in between the joists. In extreme cases, this excess water and humidity can result in wood rot as well.

Putting your old, overflowing, damaged gutters at the top of your home improvement checklist can save costly repairs and protect your home’s foundation.

A properly functioning Gutter System will collect the rainwater shedding off your roof and divert it away from your home’s foundation where it can properly drain from your property without causing damage to your home.

If your home has clogged, sagging, or overflowing gutters, we can help! Check out the Gutter Shutter System here and Click or Call 1-757-566-8622 to schedule your free estimate.