They’re often overlooked, but they play a major role in protecting your home: Gutters. When gutters fail, they leave your home open to all sorts of damage. That damage can be serious and expensive to repair. In many homes, gutters have been improperly installed. Fully protecting your home from water and ice damage means being sure that your gutters are properly installed.
Common Gutter Installation Problems
When inspecting your gutters to determine whether they’re properly installed, you should check for these common elements. Some common gutter installation mistakes include:
- Improperly pitched gutters.
Gutters need to slope toward downspouts to ensure that water will flow in the right direction. Gutters only need to slope one-quarter inch per 10 feet, so it can be difficult to spot proper gutter pitch. If gutters are backed up or have standing water then your gutter’s pitch is inadequate. - Poor placement of downspouts.
Water needs to be able to exit your gutters effectively, or it will pour over the sides of the gutters in heavy rains. When gutters chronically overflow, ineffective placement of downspouts or an inadequate number of downspouts is often to blame. - A lack of downspout outlets.
Your downspouts need to be able to direct the water from your gutters to the right spot. If your downspouts terminate too close to your home, without drains or splash pads, your basement will flood, and you will risk foundation damage. French drains or gutter extensions can help to save your home from downspouts that deposit water too close to your home’s foundation. - Missing or dropping gutters.
Of course, the biggest mistake with gutter installation is to have missing gutters! Without gutters in place, water flows off of your roof and pools directly next to your home.
The Problem with Improper Gutter Installation
When your home doesn’t have a properly installed gutter system, all sorts of problems can result. Water can deposit right next to your home’s foundation. It can flood your basement and degrade your foundation. It can destroy your landscaping and sidewalks. Water can run down the sides of your home, causing mold growth and water rot in your walls, siding, windows, and doors. In short, you can’t afford to have improperly installed gutters on your home. A properly installed gutter system is a relatively minor expense when you consider that it can save your house from major damage that can be extremely expensive to repair.
What to do if Your Gutters aren’t Properly Installed
If you notice the signs that your gutters haven’t been properly installed it’s time to seek out a new gutter system for your home. Look out for:
- water flooding into your basement,
- standing water in the gutters,
- water pouring over the edges of the gutters when it rains or gutters that are pulling away from your home.
If you are in need of a properly installed gutter system, call the Gutterman of TN to schedule an appointment today! We can properly install a gutter system that will keep your home safe from water damage.