This Overlooked Home Improvement Could Save You Thousands!
Your home’s gutters are probably not at the top of your mind very often. Most of the time, they do what they’re supposed to, but it only takes one time when they don’t — next thing you know, you could be out thousands of dollars on home repairs.
How is that possible? you might ask. All I need to do is get up on a ladder and unclog it. By the time you’re able to notice your clogged gutters and then get them unclogged, however, the damage may already be done.
Why not make a safe investment that may save you thousands in repairs? There are several reasons why buying a gutter guard for your home’s gutters will likely pay off in the long run.
How Do Gutters Form Clogs?
There are circumstances that make some gutter systems more likely to clog than others — like trees that hang over the roof, for example — but all gutters can clog over time. These are commonly caused by leaves and debris falling into the gutters and getting stuck, and less commonly, rain and snow can cause grit from roofing shingles to drip in the gutters, gradually causing severe clogs.
Here are a few ways that even a seemingly routine clog can cause costly damage to your home.
Standing Water.
When your gutters are clogged, they can’t do their job — diverting water to the downspout and safely away from your home. Rainwater often overflows clogged gutters because it can’t bypass the clog, and the result is excess water pooling around the foundation of your home. This water seeps into the ground and makes contact with a large area of y
our foundation, where it can find even the tiniest of cracks and gain access to your home.
Something as “small” as a gutter clog can result in you paying to waterproof your basement.
Fascia Damage.
Most gutters are made of metal so pooling water isn’t a problem… until it starts to make contact with your home’s fascia — wooden boards that line the edge of your home’s roof. The underside of the roof’s edge (called the soffit) isn’t impervious to water damage either. Standing water on your roof can cause these areas to rot and form mold.
What’s more, when that water starts to freeze, it can cause serious damage to these structures. Most gutters are attached to the fascia, meaning that when standing water freezes in cold temperatures, the gutters may get too heavy and rip up the fascia in the process.
Exterior Damage.
Many minor clogs still force water out of your gutter and into unintended areas. The issue with these minor clogs is that you likely won’t notice them before you notice the damage. Mold on the siding, peeling paint, rot on the windowsills and trims — these could all be signs of your gutters not functioning as efficiently as they could.
Replacement windows, new siding, pressure washing services, and more – listed one at a time, these repairs seem relatively minor, but it’s unlikely that if your gutters are clogged, you’ll only have to pay to fix just one.
Damage to the Gutters Themselves.
Sometimes gutter clogs don’t need to cause any damage to the rest of your home. The repairs to the gutters themselves can be expensive enough. When gutters are weighed down by leaves and debris, they may warp or bend, disabling them from doing what they were designed to do. This can even worsen existing clogs, or cause leaks to form, compounding in the development of other damage.
Try Gutterglove
Gutterglove gutter guards are the most high-quality, trusted solutions on the market today. When it comes to your gutters, you need something that will protect you against clogs in even the worst conditions. That’s what we’re here for.
And we have two convenient ways for you to get your gutter protected. You can purchase our gutter guards at many major retailers and install them yourself, or you can utilize our DoneRight by Gutterglove™ program to have a local professional install one of our pro products.