You might not know it, but the integrity of your roof and gutter system can pose serious risks to the rest of your home.
That’s right, something as simple as clogged gutters can lead to major foundation damage that will endanger your home, personal belongings and most importantly, your family’s health. Anything and everything from that new pool table in your basement to those perfect spring flowers or your ability to breathe clean, mold-free air is put into jeopardy.
Clogged gutters can be the source of many different problems that are both annoying and costly. Gutters that don’t get regular cleaning or maintenance can quickly cause damage and turn a home into a reconstruction project. Before looking at solutions to prevent gutter backup, it’s important to examine and understand the serious destruction that’s possible.
When water accumulates around your home, the foundation is put at risk. The possibility of erosion damage becomes real when clogged gutters mishandle the flow of rainwater. Erosion weakens your home by slowly removing layer by layer of foundation until it cracks and begins to leak. And if you think erosion doesn’t have the muscle to do major damage, consider how the Grand Canyon was created. It’s obviously an extreme example, but erosion is that powerful.
Once the foundation has become eroded beyond the point of no return, it cracks. These types of cracks are serious and can endanger your home with the possibility of caving in.
A major cave-in is the worst possible scenario resulting from cracks, but minor damage is also probable. Leaks, flooding, and mold are a direct result of cracks in your foundation. When the foundation leaks, groundwater, and excess water is able to creep in and flood the basement. If your basement begins to flood, carpet, rugs, furniture, electronics and other property can be severely damaged.
As the foundation leaks and allows water to damage the structural integrity of the home, mold becomes a serious possibility. Mold can grow within your walls, carpet, flooring and personal property once water leaks into the house, basement, and foundation. When mold infiltrates your home the health of your family is put at serious risk, which becomes the most important risk factor when discussing clogged gutters and home damage. Exposure to mold can negatively affect your family’s ability to breathe clean air and can cause allergic reactions or even severe pulmonary conditions. Cleaning and removing the mold can also be very expensive and time-consuming, but nothing is more important than the health of you and your loved ones.
Foundation damage can also create the irreversible issue of avoided foundation warranty. Most foundation warranties contain language that directly mentions keeping gutters clean to properly divert water away from your home. A foundation warranty may not cover serious foundation damage or could only be guaranteed to last a specific amount of time before expiring. It becomes important to ensure the overall integrity of the foundation is not put at risk before the warranty expires or could be voided by a gutter backup. And if you need the original builder or a claims adjuster to inspect the foundation damage, they will quickly link the major crack to a gutter system failure caused by debris obstruction.
One of the best things to do as a homeowner is to have a gutter guard system installed that allows water to properly flow into the gutters while keeping debris out. A great way to protect gutters from clogging is with a professionally-installed gutter guard system. Their design typically features a stainless steel micro mesh gutter protection system.? The openings within the stainless steel micromesh are specifically sized so that only water is channeled into the gutters. No holes, no gaps, and no openings ensure that nothing but water will get into a gutter. Products that provide a gutter protection system will prevent the headache of having to deal with roof, structural and foundation issues.
Special thanks to Jeremy Hough, LeafFilter gutter guards. For more information, visit LeafFilter.com
