Prevent Water Damage with Gutters and Drainage Systems
Water Drainage On The Home
Proper water drainage on your property is a must when it comes to keeping your yard and home safe from water damage. Rainstorms can bring excess water rushing off the roof by the quickest possible route.
If you don’t have a fully functional gutter system in place, this water can cause run-off damage to bushes and landscaping underneath the roofline, not to mention erosion around the house that could lead to foundation damage or basement flooding.
To combat all this, you’ll need high-quality rain gutters to help prevent yard and home flooding. Well-maintained gutters can last for many years, provided they are high in quality and undergo regular maintenance, says home improvement expert Bob Vila. Here are some possible risks of not having a good gutter and downspout system in place.
View of the dimensional Timberline® HD shingles and our seamless LeafGuard® gutters.
DAMAGE TO THE SIDING
When water is allowed to leak down and over the exterior of your home on a regular basis, this can lead to warping and staining of your siding. You probably spent a lot on your siding and it’s certainly costly to replace, so you don’t want to see it succumb to such damage.
Not only can vinyl siding be affected, water can also stain brick and stone masonry facades if water isn’t properly directed away from the home.
DAMAGE TO THE FOUNDATION
If you have a basement, you want to protect it from any possible water damage. When you make sure your gutters are clear of debris and your downspouts are properly diverting rainwater away from the house, this prevents water from pooling near the foundation.
Without gutters, there is nothing to keep this water away from the foundation, which can seep into your basement and cause flooding. Sometimes it’s not as obvious as gushing water, but the problem may manifest itself in small leaks that seep in, causing mold and even structural damage over time if not caught early.
DAMAGE TO THE EAVES
Perhaps you notice water and ice dams on your roof in the colder months. While this often happens because the eaves hang over the home and aren’t as well heated, this could also be due to clogged and sagging gutters that lead to large, unsafe ice dams.
If you notice ice dams forming in the winter, consult with a professional to figure out what measures need to be taken to improve things.
COLLECTION OF STANDING WATER
When rainwater isn’t properly diverted away from the house, standing water occurs, pooling around the landscaping directly below the home in barrels and in other containers. Standing water provides a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other insects that carry diseases and are nuisances to people and structures.
You can collect water from gutters, such as with a rain barrel or a rain garden, to help control water and prevent yard and home flooding.
EROSION
Another good reason to make sure your gutters are in great shape is to prevent soil erosion, which can happen as water surges off the roof and over the lip of the gutter, hitting the ground pretty hard.
All of this action eats away at the dirt and landscaping below, causing holes in the ground and other problems like ruts and damage to plants.
PREVENT WATER DAMAGE TO YOUR HOME
Keeping your gutters in good working order is imperative to prevent the substantial costs of water damage. Hiring a professional like the experts at Home Solutions of Iowa is a great way to help prevent yard flooding and water damage.
Call today for a free estimate and answers to all your most pressing questions.
