As you set the Thanksgiving table and place the final decorations around the house, it’s looking like it’s almost time for the company to arrive.
There’s family coming in from out of town, and the turkey is in the oven. You might be willing to overlook Aunt Mildred’s stuffing, and what the dog did to the cranberries last year when no one else was looking, but that’s your likely threshold for Thanksgiving holiday surprises. You can even tolerate Uncle Ron and his political discussions.
Hosting Thanksgiving dinner is not the moment for an ugly home repair surprise to rear it’s head. So to prevent that scenario from taking place, let’s look at one common cause of problems that is often overlooked until it’s too late:
Gutter failure
You always want water flowing away from the house, and this is how your gutter system should work. For this reason, it’s important to keep your gutters clean. Make sure that falling leaves aren’t preventing water from flowing.
When your gutters don’t flow properly, you risk damage to your home in several different ways:
- Foundation problems: If you have a 2,000-square-foot home, every inch of rain translates to more than 1,200 gallons of water pouring down your roof! A properly functioning gutter will carry that water through a downspout and away from your home. But a clogged gutter does the opposite—allowing water to spill over the sides and pour down your walls. Pooling water around your foundation can cause erosion which weakens the walls, leading to foundation cracks and settling.
- Broken gutters: When your gutters are clogged, the water they collect has no place to go. Instead, it fills your gutters to the brim. With each gallon of water weighing about 8 pounds, all that extra weight can bend your gutters or tear them away from the roof.
- Wall and ceiling damage: Clogged gutters can also cause water leaks on the inside of your home. Trapped water can rot the wooden fascia boards your gutters are mounted to, letting moisture enter your home. And in the winter months, ice dams can drive snow melt underneath your shingles.
- Wet basement: If your basement isn’t waterproofed, the water pouring down your foundation can lead to a damp basement. This is caused by water seeping through your basement’s porous walls and floor.
Gutter Boyz of Kentucky can help prevent these problems from happening to you. Let us come clean your gutters before these issues arise. Give us a call today for a free estimate at (270) 906-3055 or CLICK HERE to contact us today!