Watch Out! Overlook the Importance of Gutters at Your Peril

One of the most often overlooked but important parts of your home are the rain gutters. But if you overlook your gutter system and ignore the importance of regular gutter cleaning, you do so at your own peril. 

The gutter system is a quintessential part of your home's defense mechanism designed to prevent basement flooding, foundation damage and expensive repair bills. Needless to say, your gutter system is extremely important. 

Let's take a closer look at the importance of your gutters and why you shouldn't consider overlooking them — ever.

What Are Rain Gutters?

Before we dive deeper into the importance of quality rain gutters, we will begin by explaining what gutters and downspouts are. Whether they're traditional gutters, seamless gutters, k-shape rain gutters, wood gutters, ½ round gutters, or any other type, gutter systems are uniquely engineered to work with the sloped roof edge to safely move water away from your home and foundation.

What Are Downspouts?

One of the most important parts of your gutter system are the downspouts. Downspouts are the pipe-like, vertical devices connected to your gutters. 

Downspouts are usually installed along the side of your home with the primary purpose of safely channeling rainwater, snow melt, and heavy rain away from your home so it doesn't wreak havoc.

While your rain gutters may seem inconsequential, failing to have quality gutters can cost you exponentially more than any gutter installation. And to ensure your gutter installation performs as intended, it's imperative to have regular gutter cleaning.

Cleaning gutters as regular maintenance can prevent clogged gutters from accumulating pine needles, leaves, and other debris. Now that we've covered the basics of your gutters, let's look at why you shouldn't overlook the system. 

Extend the Life of Your Roof with Rain Gutters & Gutter Cleaning

If you fail to have regular gutter cleaning or do not have your gutters properly installed, rainwater will overflow the gutter system and seep underneath the shingles installed on your roof. At the same time, not having properly installed gutters can cause damage to your roof's fascia boards and soffit, which can allow rainwater, snowmelt, and storm water to seep into your attic.

When this happens, it can weaken the structure of your roof, promote mold growth, and cause extensive damage to the inside and outside of your home. By having regular gutter cleaning to remove debris and ensuring your downspouts are installed properly, you are protecting your roof and helping maximize its lifespan.

Protect the Foundation of Your Home with Gutters

A properly functioning foundation does much more than hold your home above the ground. Foundations are also tasked with insulating against the cold, keeping moisture out, and resisting the movement of earth.

And when the foundation is properly built, it's engineered to last forever. While few things can put a permanent foundation in peril, a faulty gutter system or the lack of a quality gutter system can do just that.

How Do Gutters Protect the Foundation of Your Home?

In a properly functioning gutter system, snow and stormwater flows through your downspouts and away from your home and foundation. When the gutter system isn't clogged and is properly installed, it will prevent water damage caused by standing water.

However, when you have clogged gutters or gutters that are poorly installed, stormwater and rainwater will start to pool at the bottom of the foundation. Over time, this pooling of rainwater or standing water will begin to cause erosion of soil and can even flood your basement.

Foundation Repair Is Extremely Expensive

Most importantly, clogged gutters or the lack of a quality gutter system will cause cracks to form in the foundation of your home, which was designed to be permanent. And once this happens, you are in for a hefty repair bill on your house and foundation. 

In fact, HomeAdvisor suggests most homeowners pay up to an average of $7,074 for foundation repair. Simply put, having properly installed and professionally cleaned gutters is a small price for homeowners to pay - especially in comparison to foundation repair.

The Gutter System Protects the Siding on Your House

Water damage is extremely pervasive, which is why it's imperative to protect your home with properly functioning downspouts and gutters. If your gutters are filled with leaves or other debris, they lose the ability to perform their primary purpose.

In addition to the damage to your foundation and roof, gutters that are not working properly can cause erosive damage to any type of siding. This is due to water overflowing and running down the siding to erode it. Even if it doesn't erode your siding, it can cause cracks, mold, premature color loss, oxidation, and more.

What About Vinyl Siding?

Vinyl siding has become extremely popular because it is impervious to mold, rot, and can stand up to snow, rain, and wind. However, even vinyl siding can be damaged by continuous water running down the surface every time rain falls.

In reality, when rain overflows the gutter system or is allowed to run unchecked down the side of your house, it can get underneath or behind the siding, causing damage to the structure. And if there is roof damage, the harm to the structure can be exponentially increased. Because of this, it's imperative to keep your gutters and downspouts clear of debris to ensure it drains properly.

Regular Gutter Cleaning Is Important 

As we have previously mentioned, having a properly installed gutter system is the first step. However, your gutters and downspouts are not a set-it-and-forget-it system. Instead, you must regularly clean your gutters, inspect them for leaks, and service the gutter system to protect your home.

Clogged Gutters Is Like Having No Gutters at All

Failing to have your gutters cleaned regularly is essentially inviting a host of problems. In fact, having a clogged gutter system or clogged downspout is just as bad as having no gutters at all. 

If the rainwater is trapped in a clogged gutter system, it will render your gutters essentially useless. And this can lead to a host of additional problems when temperatures drop. 

If the twigs, leaves, and other debris stay in the gutter structure during the winter, snowmelt can pool and refreeze in cold temps. The extra weight of the debris in the gutter structure will begin to weigh the system down and cause it to pull away from your house. 

Clogged gutters can also significantly increase the likelihood of ice dams forming at the edge of your roof.

Clean Traditional Gutters At Least Twice a Year

If you have traditional gutters on your house, it's imperative to have them professionally cleaned a minimum of two times a year:

Install Gutter Guards to Reduce Number of Cleanings

Gutter guards are designed to prevent debris from ever entering the gutter system, which can improve water flow and help reduce leaks. Also called gutter helmets and gutter screens, the best gutter guards are proven to reduce the number of cleanings. As such, gutter guards can help save you time and money over the long run.

Contact Ned Steven Gutter Cleaning of Long Island to Protect Your House

Your gutter system is tasked with protecting your roof, house, foundation, basement, soil, and landscaping. Homeowners who fail to focus on the importance of a properly functioning gutter system often are left with a hefty price to pay.

However, this doesn't have to be your experience, and the team at Ned Stevens Gutter Cleaning of Long Island can help. We offer a full range of exterior services for your house and roof, including:

Contact us today for professional gutter cleaning.