HOW IGNORING YOUR GUTTERS DAMAGES YOUR HOME
Your gutters perform an important role in protecting your home from water damage. Regular maintenance should be performed on roof gutters near Houston, TX to ensure they are solidly attached to your home, clear of debris, free of cracks, and draining properly. Forgoing maintenance or ignoring problems with your gutters could compromise your home. Keep reading for an overview on a few of the consequences of ignoring your gutters.
Foundation Damage
The purpose of a gutter is to collect water as it runs off your roof and deposit it on the ground away from your home. If your gutter is clogged with leaves, yard waste, or other debris, water will flow over the top of your gutter and run down the wall of your house. This water can pool up at the base of your exterior wall and leak into your foundation or basement. Over time, water will damage your foundation, leading to structural damage and very costly repairs.
Rotting Wood
Water pooling in your rain gutters can cause damage to wood in various parts of your home’s structural system. The fascia that holds your gutters can rot and fail when if it’s in constant contact with rainwater. Similarly, wood siding or shingles will suffer damage if rainwater is allowed to collect on their surfaces. Additionally, water that is not diverted away by rain gutters can seep into your walls, damaging wood and compromising your home’s structural integrity. To avert these issues, be sure that your gutters and gutter downspout are free of plant matter and other debris.
Pest Infestation
Clogged gutters are a haven for carpenter ants, mosquitos, earwigs, termites, and rodents. Pooled water and decomposing plant debris inside a stopped-up rain gutter create a perfect ecosystem in which insects and rodents will flourish and multiply. As their numbers grow, it is possible that many of these pests will move from your gutters into the home. An insect or rodent infestation is not only a disturbing prospect and a health concern, but it could compromise the structural and mechanical systems within your home as hungry bugs and rodents munch on wood and wiring.
