Are Your Gutters Ready For Replacement?
While you're up on the ladder taking down the Christmas lights this year, take the time to inspect the gutters that you had them hung on. Those gutters are more important to your home than you might think. Here, you'll find a short list of things that can go wrong if you allow your gutter system to fail and signs to watch for to know that it's time to install new gutters on your home.
Damage Caused by Failing Gutters
When the gutters fail, they no longer carry the water that collects on the roof away from the house. That's a whole lot of water with nowhere to go but down. So, as the water makes its way off of the roof, it runs down the side of the house and into the foundation. This can cause mold and mildew issues in every level of the home, not to mention all of the damage to the building materials that will occur.
Eventually, the water will make its way into your basement and cause mold and mildew issues, as well as foundation stability issues. If you have puddles of water in your basemen that hadn't been there in years past, chances are, the gutters are not carrying the water away from the house and you will have to continue the struggle to keep the basement dry.
Signs the Gutters need Replaced
When the gutters need to be replaced, there will be signs – some are quite obvious, some not-so-much.
From the ground below, you can kind of see the condition of the gutters – you have a good line of sight to see the overall condition – do you see any sagging or dips in the gutter? If so, it will need to be replaced.
Now, get up on the ladder and check things out. How much gook is built up in the gutter? How long has it been since you've had the gutters cleaned? If there's a lot of gook built up inside, you will need to clean them out to see the bottom of the gutter itself. Sometimes, holes can form and continue to grow.
Get a level and place it on the gutter. Does the gutter have a very slight angle to force the water to flow to the downspout? If not, you will need to have someone take a look and get it fixed.
Of course, if you notice any leaks or pulling seams, repairs will need to be made.
Contact your local residential gutter installation professional to have the gutters inspected and necessary repairs made.
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