If my gutter is sagging slightly, or if it overflows a little bit now and again, it’s unsightly, but it’s not a big deal, right?
Wrong! Here are four eye-opening, and wallet-draining issues that bad gutters can cause that you probably aren’t aware of. If you let your rain gutters go without maintenance, even in southern California, you could wake up one day to find….
1) Your Roof is Ruined!
Your gutter system and your roof are intimately connected. Gutters take away the water that’s on your roof before it can linger and get under your shingles. The less time water stays on your roof, the fewer leaks, mold colonies and soft spots you’ll find.
Water that stays in gutters because of sagging or a bad hanging job can be sucked right up under the shingles and into your roof’s sheathing, which will rot away if you don’t deal with the problem quickly. Even if it doesn’t get under your shingles, it could erode them as the water backs up and soaks into them. Either way, you’re talking about a lot of money for problems that shouldn’t be happening.
2) Your Siding is Ruined!
If your gutters are hung incorrectly, they could fall, tearing down your siding with them. But that’s the only risk, right? So what if water gets on your siding… It’s all-weather! It gets rained on all the time!
Sure, but does it get subjected to a constant flow of water? No. And there’s a reason why it doesn’t – or shouldn’t! Just like water can get under the shingles, it can get under your siding. Once there, it can eat away at the wall materials and create a fertile environment for pests, as well as for mold! Mold loves vinyl siding, especially in areas that don’t get much direct light. Mold is unhealthy, ugly, and destructive. You will have to re-install all new siding, which is a pricey endeavor.
3) Your Basement is Flooded and Your Foundation is Eroded!
This is any homeowner’s worst nightmare: a basement flood. When your gutters are backed up, the water just spills out and into the soil around your house. Soil can only absorb so much water, and that water has to go somewhere else. And all too often, “somewhere else” is your foundation and basement.
A basement flood can cost you thousands of dollars, but foundation problems can cost you your house. A house on an unstable foundation can be condemned by the state if you let it go long enough. This is serious business.
4) Your Patio and Driveway are Damaged!
Water will seep into pretty much any concrete fixture eventually: there’s only so much a sealant can do against a steady stream of water. Eventually, it’ll cause cracks, rust rebar supports and cause other damage. A proper gutter system above your garage will help direct water away so that it isn’t draining out onto your driveway, causing a small river every time it rains.
Don’t let these nightmares become a reality. At Prestigious Raingutters, we have 25 years of experience cleaning, repairing and maintaining all types of rain gutters in the Los Angeles and San Fernando Valley areas. Let us help you sleep soundly by putting your rain gutter nightmares to rest. Call us for a free estimate.
I frankly knew about almost all of this, but however, I still believed it had been beneficial. Excellent job!
This piece was cogent, well-wirtten, and pithy.
Great blog here! Also your web site loads up fast! What web host are you using? Can I get your affiliate link to your host? I wish my web site loaded up as quickly as yours lol
Good points all arnoud. Truly appreciated.
Heck yeah bay-bee keep them cmniog!
I am constantly browsing online for tips that can facilitate me. Thx!
What a joy to find such clear thinking. Thanks for pstoing!
Actually wonderful styling and extraordinary subject matter , hardly anything else essential .