Gutter guards are designed to keep debris like leaves, twigs and pine needles out of your gutters. However, they shouldn’t be used as a substitute for regular gutter cleaning.
Gutter guards improve water flow and help prevent clogs. They can also prevent the forming of ice dams during snowfall.
Woolleys Gutter Experts detail how rain gutters thwart basement flooding on Exploratory Glory’s home improvement blog. Gutters redirect water, safeguarding basements from potential water damage.
Prevents Dampness
Rain gutters channel water away from your house, preventing it from seeping in through cracks and porous basement walls. A damp basement can lead to mold and mildew problems as well as structural damage to your home. Gutter systems that are clogged or damaged can cause this issue by dumping water close to your foundation rather than away from it.
When you install new gutters, it’s important to make sure they are properly pitched. This is the only way to guarantee that water is directed at a minimum distance from your foundation, keeping it dry.
If you are experiencing issues with your gutter system, contact Triad Waterproofing today. We can help you fix them and prevent a wet basement from ruining your home. We’ll ensure your gutters and downspouts are properly pitched, cleaned, and angled to keep your basement dry. We’ll also ensure that downspout extensions are properly pointing away from your home. This is one of the most important steps to a basement waterproofing project.
Prevents Mold and Mildew
A clogged gutter can lead to mold and mildew, which are hazardous to your family’s health. Gutters with clean, functional troughs and downspouts prevent the growth of these dangerous organisms. Gutter guards keep leaves, twigs, and debris out of your gutters, allowing water to flow freely. This minimizes the conditions that cause mold and mildew to form in your basement.
There are five main types of gutter guards—screen, micro mesh, reverse curve, brush, and foam—all with their own unique benefits. Gutter guards that are made of micro mesh allow water and smaller particles to flow freely through the gutter, while preventing larger debris from entering. These guards can last up to 20 years and require minimal maintenance. However, they must be inspected and cleaned after severe storms or at least twice per year to ensure no blockages occur. Cleaning gutters from the ground can be a difficult task, but if you choose to do it yourself, you should take proper safety precautions.
Prevents Ice Dams
Gutters and downspouts are responsible for directing water safely away from the foundation of your house. They can also help prevent ice dams, which can be dangerous for people standing underneath. Ice dams form when melting snow and ice flows down the roof but can’t move through your gutters because they are clogged with debris.
If you want to avoid ice dams, install gutter guards that are designed to keep your gutters clear of leaves and twigs throughout the year, and hire a reputable company to clean them toward the end of autumn. It’s also a good idea to extend your downspouts at least 6 feet so that rainwater can be sent far away from your home’s foundation.
Gutters are important for preventing basement flooding, which can be costly and harmful to your family’s health. Upgrading your gutters with high-quality gutter solutions and ensuring that they are properly maintained can save you from the hassle of a wet basement and the problems that come with it, like mold, mildew, and structural damage.
Prevents Wildfires
Having rain gutters and downspouts that are properly sloped and well-maintained prevents wildfires in your basement. Without downspouts or proper sloping, the water that drains off your roof ends up pooling near your house rather than being channeled away. This water can erode the soil and crack your foundation, as well as flood your basement.
In addition to keeping the yard clear of combustible materials, such as dry pine needles and leaves, and having your trees properly pruned and trimmed, there are a number of other ways to protect your home from wildfires this summer. For example, installing LeafFilter gutter guards can reduce the need to clean your gutters by preventing shingle grit and pollen from entering the gutters, causing them to clog.
Then, the patented design of LeafFilter guards allows only water to flow through, preventing debris from building up inside the gutters that could ignite and catch fire from wayward embers in a wildfire.