Why You Should Have Gutters on Your Home?
Our monsoon season always brings phone calls of “help” we have a leak. This week we received three such calls and after investigation by our contractors, the pesky leaks were caused by gutters and in the case of one homeowner, no gutters caused the leak. We have said time after time that rain gutters are a great protection to a home. Talking with Jack Rose of Arizona Seamless Gutters and Tim Will of Willbuilt Seamless Gutters, both men agreed that the main purpose of a rain gutter system will protect your home’s foundation by channeling water away from the home. In doing so, the diverted rain water from heavy downpours will protect our clay base and expansive soils from swelling or shrinking, reduce erosion and prevent water from entering under your home and then causing settling or heaving and the foundation to crack.
Such was the case with the homeowner that did not have gutters. With a deluge of rain, no gutters to move the water away from the home, water entered through the foundation and found its way to the basement. This particular homeowner thanks to Willbuilt Seamless Gutters now has the needed gutter protection installed and is ready for the next heavy downpour. This was the first monsoon season for this new homeowner who thought gutters in the desert – no way! Luckily costly repairs were avoided.
The other calls for “help” were attributed to clogged and leaking gutters. The joints between several sections on the downspouts were rusted allowing water to pool into the soil which then seeped into the home through the foundation. New sections of gutters were replaced and with some minor patching “wala” no more leaks. The case of clogged gutters was due to roof debris, leaves and dirt. The gutters had not been cleaned for several seasons according to Jack Rose of Arizona Seamless Gutters. The water run off was not making it way through the gutter system, but instead found it way down the stucco and through the window. After a through cleaning and adding gutter topper (a leaf and debris protection system) these gutters are just like new.
Maintenance is a critical component for an operational gutter system and with periodic inspections and cleaning gutters are a relatively hassle free home accessory. Inspect the gutter system to make sure they are not sagging and that the slope is correct. Gutters should be affixed tightly to the fascia board, if not leaks will occur and dry rot will appear. Gutters may need to be adjusted from time to time and a seasonal check is always a good rule of thumb. Check during a rain to make sure water is not spouting from the seams or leaking from the gutter and check the downspouts to see that water is being diverted from the drainpipe. Rain gutters are an important component to any home, old or new and with our monsoon seasons and soil conditions gutters are a must and they are a preventative measure for protecting your home. For ever more and always remember the Noun – Gutters: A trough or channel along or under the eaves of a roof, to carry and divert rain water from the roof and away from the foundation of the home.
