TheDangersofStandingWaterinYour Gutters
Rain gutters are an essential element for any house. These tubes attached to the roof edges hold rainwater and diverts it to the ground away from the house foundation. The absence of a gutter will cause the roof and walls of the house to get damp. So, these are a crucial element to keep your property safeandprotected from moistureanditsdamages.Butevenhavingaguttersystemcanleadtoseveral issues such as standing water in gutters can lead to seepage that can cause several problems.
WhyWaterStagnatesintheGutters?
Rain gutters are extremely essential to keep your property dry and safe from moisture-related damages. However, there can be various reasons why water can getstagnantinthewaterguttersofthehouseroofs.
CloggedSystem
Often rainwater or even water from melting snow accumulates in the gutters because of a clog that has appeared in the downspout. This is the most common problem that many homeowners face with their gutter systems. Several elements can lead to clogging of the downspout like animal nests, golf balls, tree branches, pineneedles,dryleaves,straytennis,andmanymore.
When you have left the clog as it is, rain water will keep on accumulating on the roof and will start damaging your roof slowly. Any clogs in the downspouts are quite difficult to detect in the first place. So, you can know about the clog only when the water has started getting stagnant. An expert can help in understanding theclogandcomingupwithasolution.
One of the best ways is to maintain the cleanliness of the gutter system properly Experts mention that cleaningtheguttersystemduringfallandspringseasonisthe best way to keep debris away from the system. When the downspout is free from any debris, the chances of standing water in gutter reduces to a huge extent. Also, one of the best ways is to invest in a gutter guard if you are staying in an area where you have treessurroundingyourhouse.Theguardwillkeepthedebrisaway from entering the system, avoiding clogging. But of course, even when you have gutter guards, you must make sure to schedule a maintenance of the gutter system atleastonceortwiceayeartoavoidanyproblemsinadvance.
TheSlope
Among various essential elements of a gutter system, slope of the system is the most important one.Ifthetubesarenotinstalledinthecorrectslope,thewaterwill not drain in the downspout properly. Often when homeowners try to install the gutter system on their own, they make mistakes of installing the system in the
wrong slope. The wrong slope does not allow the water to flow smoothly and ultimatelycausingstandingwater.
So, how do you know at the first place that theguttersareworkingfairindraining the water smoothly? Check the gutter system work just after a downpour. If the water flowing is also gathering in a corner, you must know that the slope of the gutter system is not correct. You must immediately call an expert to discuss this issueandinstallthesystemagaininaproperslope.
The expert will first try to realign the slope by correcting the hangers. But if this does not work out well, then the only solution left out is to change the entire system. The experts will suggest you to remove the entire systemandthenapplya newoneorsoaccordingly.
HowisStagnantWaterHarmful?
You may not have the time to check your roof and gutter system because of your busy schedule. So, you must check out the dangers that you are involving in leaving standing water in gutters. Here are some potential and major damagesthat you may have to face if you are not taking care of your gutter system and letting gutterwaterstayinthesystemforlong.
PressureOnFoundation
Standing wateringuttersandontheroofwilloverflowonedayandwaterwillstart flowing near the foundation of the house. The downspout is installed to throw the rainwater away from the house foundation. But if the downspout is cloggedornot aligned properly because of which the water is overflowing, the water will start affecting the soil near the house’s foundation. This will start causing many structuraldamages.
The whole house stands on the foundation and any damage to the foundation will cause damagetothehousealso.Thewatermaystartseepinginthebasementofthe house by creating cracks intheroof.Youwillknowthiswhenyoustartgettingbad odourfromthebasement.
If you have already faced this problem, the next immediate thing that you must to do is to take out the water from the basement and the foundation. You can do this withthehelpofasumppump.
SettlingFoundation
Even when you have removed the water from the foundation, you cannot at times avoid the impacts of the standing water. If the water hasbeenthereforalongtime and has caused massive pressure, the foundation has a tendency to shift and then settle accordingly. When such a thing happens, you will notice cracksonthewalls as well as floors getting uneven. Not just the walls or the floor, the shift can even cause damages to other structures like the masonry chimney. Also, guttersholding water for long suffers from cracks and other damages. So, whenever you see standing water in the gutter system, you must not wait for it to start accumulating in the foundation. You musttakeimmediateactionwhenyounoticestandingwater in the gutter system because if the water starts acting against the foundation, dealingwiththedamagesattimesmaygetreallydifficult.
MoldintheBasement
Standing water in gutters for too long can cause moisture to impact the basement also. The moisture builds up on the walls and ceilings of the basement causing mold growth. The mold does not only damages the walls and ceilings butalsocan cause several health issues for the people staying in the house. Many people get respiratoryconditionslikeasthmabecauseofmoldgrowthonthebasement.
Also, the mold growth and moisture can cause damage to the assets in the basement like furniture, seasonal clothes, or any of your other expensive possessions. So, the standing water can cause so much damage at once. Why do you have to take the risk of all these when you can actually avoid them by taking careofyourguttersystemonaregularbasis?
PestAttack
Apart from themold,pestisanotherproblemthatyoucanfacebecauseofstanding water in the gutter systems. When the pests like flies and mosquitosstartbreeding in the accumulated water, they will start attacking you soon in your living area of the house. Mosquitoes can spread several diseases among the family members while some other flies and pests can infect the pers of the house with several conditionslikeheartworms.
So, not only the standing water in gutters will impact the housebutalsowillbring deadly diseases and health problems for theentirefamily.So,ifyoudonotwishto risk the health of your family, youmustmakesuretocleanuptheguttersystemon aregularbasissothatthereisnochanceforthewatertogetstagnant.
ImportantTipstoCareforyourGutterSystem
Standing water in your house’s gutter system can lead to disastrousimpactsonthe structure of the houseaswellasthefamilymembersresidinginthehouse.Butyou can completely, avoid such damages by taking only a few essential steps. If you clean your gutter system on proper time and keep it in well-maintained condition, youdonothavetofaceanytrouble.
● If you are all set to learn the ways to clean and maintain your gutter system,herearethestepsthatyoucanfollow.
● Run an inspection of the gutters at least two times in a year to check whethereverythingisfineornot.
● Keep your roof clean from debris like leaves, twigs, and others as and whenpossible.
● If you have noticed rust or holes somewhere, act immediately to repair thembeforeitturnsintoamassivedisaster
● Check for clogs during the fall seasonorspringseasonandcleanthemup toletthewaterflowsmoothly.
● Install agutterguardtokeepdebrisawayfromthewaterthatisflowingin thedownspout.
● Add a downspout extension to offer extra safety to the landscape surroundingyourhouse.
Standing water in gutters can be a common problem inregionsofrainfallorsnow. Even after you have cleaned the gutters in the fall season, you may notice water accumulation again in the spring season for the same reason. Standing water can cause several damages to the foundation as well as other assets of the house. So, before it does such damages, it is always better to avoid such situations from occurring. Follow a regular cleaning and maintenance regime to avoid standing water and protect your property from unwanteddamages.Also,ifyouhavegutters not draining properly, do not hesitate to contact gutter service near me experts to getasolution.