Storm Gutters- How gutters work and why they are important.

5/10/2022 (Permalink)

Storm Gutters

Storm and Rain Gutters protect your home in many different ways.  Essentially, the purpose of a gutter is to collect the water from your roof and direct it to the ground, away from the house foundation, through a downspout.  During a storm, the rain water travels from the top of the roof from the slope to the gutters.  The water then travels through the downspout, the metal sheet tube that runs along side of the home vertically, then out to the splash block, the fixing on the ground that further diverts water from the foundation to protect the basement from flooding and water damage.

Gutters are vital on a home.  Hence, why you see them on every single home you’ve ever looked at.  Without a roof slope and gutter system, rainwater would collect in your roof and cause rot, mold and deterioration of the roof and shingles.  This would lead to interior ceiling, wall, and floor damage.  Eventually, the entire home would be infested with microbial growth which would lead to the complete collapse and death of your home.  Even with the slope on the roof, gravity will direct that water down the home and into your windows and exterior moldings.  The molding around the windows will start to rot and deteriorate, without a gutter system.  Water will leak into the home and into the walls which would, once again, cause mold and rot.  On top of all that, gutters prevent ‘pooling’, gathering of water, from happening around the foundation of your home.  If the foundation of your home suffers from pooling long enough, the ground will soften, the home can become unstable and this will weaken the foundation of the home and cause water damages in the lowest level of the home.  Cracks in the walls and ceilings may also form as the foundation may shift. As you can see now, a good gutter system is vitally important to keep your home structurally sound.  Please refer to the next Blog from SERVPRO of Fredericksburg titled ‘Storm / Rain Gutter Maintenance’.