Are your gutters sagging away from the home? Perhaps even cracking in places? This is more than a headache – It has the potential to do a lot of damage to your home! It’s time for a change. Introducing: Gutter guards.
With the right design and installation, gutter covers are able to keep your gutters clear, prevent debris buildup, and stop your water from overflowing.
This comprehensive article delves into this essential topic. It offers practical solutions to your gutter problems.
Say goodbye to frequent gutter cleaning and the risks of structural damage. Stay tuned as we guide you through safeguarding your home with ease and efficiency.
Structural Risks of Sagging Gutters
Sagging gutters may threaten your home’s structural integrity in several ways:
1. Foundation Troubles
Sagging gutters can damage your home’s foundation. When they droop, the water doesn’t drain properly. It pours over and pools around the foundation. This excess moisture can cause the soil to swell. Over time, this can lead to cracks and shifts in the foundation.
2. Roof-Line Issues
If your gutters are sagging, they are not working well. Water will build up around the roof-line instead of flowing away as it should. This will lead to problems like rotting wood in different areas of the roofline (fascia, soffit, etc.) and even leaks inside your home.
3. Siding Damage
When water spills over from sagging gutters, it can damage your home’s siding. Constant exposure to moisture can cause siding materials to warp, rot, or discolor. This will make your home look worn out.
4. Increased Risk of Clogs
Sagging gutters are even more likely to clog with debris. This will lead to blockages, causing even more water to overflow. It’s a recipe for leaks, corrosion, and expensive foundation and basement repairs.
5. Fascia Board Issues
You know that long horizontal board that holds your gutters in place? Yeah, it’s called the fascia board. Well, when your gutters start sagging, they put extra strain on that poor little board.
Over time, that strain weakens and deteriorates the fascia. And guess what? That means water can eventually work its way right through it to sub-fascia, soffit, rafter tails, you name it. Not cool, right?
6. Pest Problems
Stagnant water in clogged gutters is like a welcome sign for all sorts of pests – mosquitoes, termites, rodents, you name it. They absolutely love that damp, dark environment. And once they move in, they can cause all sorts of chaos – both inside and outside your home. Trust me, you don’t want to deal with that.
7. Landscaping Losses
In addition to causing havoc on your house, overflowing water from drooping gutters also ruins your landscaping.
It can wash away all the beautiful mulch you put so much effort into, erode soil, and drown your priceless plants. This is especially true if you live in an area that experiences harsh winters like certain suburbs in Kansas City, for example Overland park or Olathe, where the combination of freezing temperatures and excess water can be detrimental to your landscaping.
Furthermore, all that extra moisture makes the ideal environment for mold and mildew to grow, which is terrible for your plants and soil.
3 Ways Gutter Guards Protect Your Gutters from Sagging
Gutter guards can be an essential part of maintaining the health of your gutter system. Here are four ways in which they prevent your gutters from sagging:
1. They Prevent Debris Buildup and Maintain Proper Water Flow
A leaf guard, properly chosen and installed, acts as a protective barrier, allowing rainwater to flow smoothly through gutters while keeping out solid debris like leaves and twigs.
By keeping these materials out of the gutter, gutter guards eliminate debris that can cause excessive weight buildup. Excessive standing water leads to chronic weight; chronic weight leads to sagging gutters. Eliminating the debris means eliminating the water which means eliminating the chronic water which means eliminating the weight that pulls gutters away.
2. They Keep Gutters Properly Aligned
A high quality gutter guard will add strength to a gutter system by adding additional brackets. When properly installed, these will be placed between existing gutter brackets. These additional brackets and strength will keep the gutters properly sloped and prevent sagging.
This proper sloping keeps water flowing where it should, through the gutter system, to the downspouts, and exiting away from your home.
A good example of this is the Advantage Gutter Guard®. It is a solid surface system that has all aluminum brackets that go on every 18 inches in between existing guttering brackets, adding incredible strength to a gutter system.
3. They Reduce Wood Rot
Some gutter guard systems have an additional way they prevent sagging. If they interact with the roofline and keep water away from the fascia, they will prevent wood rot on the fascia. This allows the guttering brackets and screws to keep a firm hold on the fascia and prevents gutter sagging.
Good examples of this are the Advantage Gutter Guard® and Gutter Helmet®, both patented products.
Final Thoughts
The correct gutter guard, properly installed, can be an excellent part of your solution for drooping and overflowing gutters. They keep your gutter properly attached and angled on your fascia, allowing water to flow freely, preventing damage to the roof, siding, foundation, and other areas.
