Despite what you may expect, your gutters are essential to the overall functionality of your home. Unfortunately, leaking gutters can be detrimental to your home’s structural integrity and can lead to or signify larger issues. As such, it is crucial for every homeowner to have a clear understanding of how to prevent gutter leaks.
The good news is that there are plenty of ways that you can achieve that goal. This article will share seven of the top ways to prevent leaking gutters. We’ll also cover other vital information on the topic along the way.
Keep Your Gutters Clean and Unclogged
One of the top priorities for anyone with gutters should be to keep them clean and clear at all times. Gutters are responsible for collecting water from your roof and conveying it away from your home. During this process, it is easy for leaves and other forms of debris to enter your gutter system.
Under normal circumstances, a small amount of debris is manageable for most gutter systems. However, debris can also build up quickly, causing clogs in your gutters. As clogs continue to worsen, rainwater is more likely to remain stagnant in your gutters, making leaks more likely.
Cleaning your gutters regularly is an easy way to prevent this common issue. Generally, it is best to perform this vital gutter maintenance task at least twice per year.
Ensure You Have the Right Gutter Size for Your Home
Occasionally, you may discover that the gutters you have are not the proper size for your home. While you might expect gutters to be one-size-fits-all, the reality is that gutters come in different styles, and your installer must select the correct variety for the size of your roof.
When gutters are too small for the roofs they serve, it is more likely they will fill up, overflow, and leak in some cases. If your gutters are too small for your home, this should quickly become apparent. An easy solution is to remove and replace your gutter system with one that is appropriate for your house’s size.
Keep Your Gutters Properly Pitched
From the outside, gutters appear to be entirely flat. However, if a gutter was perfectly level, it would not encourage water to flow towards a downspout at one end. As such, an appropriately aligned gutter will have a slight pitch.
When your gutters don’t pitch, pooling is more likely. As pooling accumulates, you can expect overflows and leaks. Proper gutter alignment ensures that water flows as efficiently as it should.
Repair Gutter Damage
Gutter damage can come in several different forms. In some cases, this damage can result in breaks or blockages in your gutters. Blockages make it much more likely that water will pool in your gutters, which also makes it more probable that leaks will occur.
Recognizing gutter damage that results in blocked water is the first step. After that, performing gutter repairs can often be enough to stop future leaking.
Seal Your Gutters As Needed
Sometimes, it is incredibly clear where there is a leak in your gutters. When that happens, resolving the issue can be as simple as using a gutter seal. These products require you to apply a gutter sealant directly to the leaking area.
The best part about this approach is that gutter sealant products are widely available in many stores. Additionally, these products are very easy to use, even if you are not a professional gutter specialist.
Add Gutter Protection
Earlier, we mentioned the fact that debris can easily cause gutter clogs and leaks. One way to prevent this is to clean your gutters regularly. Another approach involves preventing debris from entering your gutters in the first place.
This second approach involves installing a gutter protection system for your gutters. This protection allows water to flow into the gutter while preventing larger forms of debris from entering the system. This combination ensures your gutters perform their job while avoiding a common cause of clogs.
Perform Regular Roof Inspections
Performing a roof inspection may not seem like it would prevent leaking gutters. However, evaluating the state of a gutter system is one of the many phases of a proper roof inspection. Since gutters are essential to the health of a roof, a roofing specialist must include them in a roof assessment.
Many roof assessment services cost several hundred dollars. Still, it is essential to perform a roof assessment at least once per year. Roof inspections help you recognize current roof problems and prevent them from worsening. These inspections should also ensure that your gutters operate well and avoid leaks.
Why Gutters Are Important For Your Home
Throughout this article, we have highlighted the importance of preventing gutter leaks. However, you are likely wondering why well-functioning gutters are crucial in the first place. The answer is that gutters benefit your home in more ways than one.
First and most obviously, gutters are responsible for collecting rainwater from your roof and sending it away from your home. If gutters fail to perform this essential role, it can become difficult for your home to shed water. As this occurs, water can cause structural damage, mold growth, stains, and more.
Additionally, when gutters leak, they are incredibly likely to fill up and overflow when they fill with rainwater. As this happens, the gutters often deposit water directly onto the soil next to your home’s foundation. When enough water accumulates, many problems with your foundation can arise.
For those reasons, gutters are much more than a convenient element of a home. They are an essential component that keeps your home intact. Preventing leaks is just one of many ways to ensure gutters meet this purpose.
Get the Gutter and Roof Help You Need
Ensuring that your roof and gutters work properly is a challenge for the average person. Since that is the case, the best choice is to have an expert evaluate your home. For anyone in the Columbus, Ohio, area, Ascent Roofs is the best company for any gutter and roof concerns. Contact us today to learn more about the services we offer.
