Homeowners know when something isn’t right with their gutter downspouts. Drainage issues caused by wear and tear, poor installation, pests, roofing issues, and severe weather can lead to serious complications like gushing water, sagging gutters, leaks, and interior damage. Your entire home is threatened by poorly operating gutter downspouts.
Gutter Downspouts and Drainage Problems
If you are experiencing any of the following issues with your gutter downspouts, it’s time to contact a gutter expert to find out what’s causing the problem and how to protect your home:
- Overflowing gutters
- Sagging gutters
- Gutter leaks
- Gushing downspouts
- Yard erosion
- Stagnant water
- Ice dams
- Mold on downspouts
- Mildew on siding
Any clogged or seeping gutter downspouts are a big problem by themselves, but they also cause other problems that damage the rest of your home, including the roof, siding, and foundation.
Potential Solutions for Gutter Leaks and Clogs
It’s worth every penny to pay attention to gutter downspouts and how they’re performing, seasonally at the very least. Gutter systems are held together by fascia boards which are typically made of wood. A build-up of debris in the gutters causes clogs and the stagnant water leads to rot and deterioration – quickly. Anyone with wood siding will experience even more extensive damage to the structure of their home when water backup occurs.
Clogged gutters stop the whole system from working and allow water to pour over the sides of the gutters. Combined with poorly extended downspouts, this water will eventually build up around the foundation and cause cracks, mold, and, in the worst cases, collapse.
Possible solutions? Here are just some of them:
- Aluminum wrap: Aluminum is a maintenance-free way to protect vulnerable wooden fascias while matching your home’s siding and minimizing worries about the exterior.
- Extended downspouts: If downspouts are too short and do not extend far enough beyond the perimeter of the home, they can be fitted with an extender to minimize problems. Putting stones, concrete, or pavers at the bottom of the downspouts also improves draining and prevents water from invading your home.
- Seamless gutters: Seamless gutters are flexible and durable. Add to them a hanging system with an access panel designed to support gutters on both ends so they do not warp or bend and leaves and debris are prevented from entering and blocking the gutters.
Get Professional Help with Problematic Downspouts
No homeowner should diagnose their own gutter and downspout problems on their own. It’s incredibly important to rely on the expertise of someone who can identify issues that circle your home and potentially exist on top of it. A roofing expert and gutter installer is the best resource to tell you whether the problems that develop in the gutter downspouts have occurred because of roof complications.
Contact The Modern Pros in southeast Michigan to get a diagnosis for any exterior problems happening outside your home. Schedule a consultation for an inspection and recommendations.