The Vital Role of Gutter Maintenance in Roof Health
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Written by: FTC Oury Group
Your home's gutters are an essential part of your home's water management system. During rainstorms and times of snow melt, your gutters transport water away from your home's foundation, depositing it safely in the yard. Gutters help prevent attic leaks, basement leaks, foundation damage, and more.
All this means that roof and gutter maintenance is a vital part of caring for your home. It's also important to install high-quality gutters that can last a long time. In this article, we'll talk about gutters, what they do, and what you need to know about gutter care.
What Are Gutters?
Gutters are built-in channels that collect rain runoff. The gutters in your home can be found around the perimeter of your roof. Gutters are shaped like little canals, designed to hold water and transport it to a location in the yard.
Gutters look straight and level, but an effective gutter system is slightly tilted, so the water inside the gutters will run toward the downspouts, which funnel water into the yard. Some homes have very short downspouts that drop off water in a space close to the house. Other homes have long downspouts that transport water far away from the home's foundation.
How Gutters Support Your Roof
Your home's gutters protect your roofing material by helping it to dry quickly and stay dry after rainstorms. This helps prevent your roofing material from deteriorating, even after years of exposure to precipitation. Without gutters, the entire structure of your home from the roof to the foundation could suffer from water damage over many years.
In addition, gutters perform many other vital functions. The foundation, siding, and roof all need functioning gutters to remain sound and strong.
Keep Water Away from Your Foundation
Gutters redirect water away from your home's foundation. If the soil around your home's foundation becomes saturated, freeze/thaw cycles in the earth can put pressure on the foundation, leading to cracks, damage, and leaks. It's important to maintain soil that is neither too wet nor too dry. Gutters help make this possible.
Shield Roof and Siding
If your home did not have gutters, rainwater would run off your home's roof and dribble down the siding, which would in turn expose your home's siding to potential water damage. Constant exposure to water can cause siding paint to bubble or may damage the caulking. The caulking that seals your home's siding helps weatherproof your home. Ultimately, insufficient gutters can lead to leaks.
Prevent Winter Ice Dams
In winter, properly functioning gutters help transport melting snow and ice away from the roof. When gutters become clogged, this can lead ice to back up on your roof, form under your shingles, and cause a leak in your attic. This is called an
ice dam. Ice dams are why it's important to maintain clean, functioning gutters throughout the winter as well as other times of year.
Extend the Life of Your Roof
Although a good roof is designed to withstand some exposure to water and ice, too much exposure can cause your roofing material to degrade. Gutters help keep your roof dry, which in turn can extend the service life of your roof. Although it may seem like your roof will last a long time, those years can go fast. No one wants to replace their roof too quickly. Installing high-quality gutters and keeping up with roof and gutter maintenance can make all the difference.
Types of Gutters: Are All Gutters the Same?
All gutters are not created equally. There are many different types of gutters. Gutters come in different shapes and can be made from different materials. When you're choosing gutters for your home, work with your home remodeling contractor to choose the right gutter size and shape.
- Shape: Gutters come in K-style, half-round, and square shapes. This shape affects their appearance, cost, and functionality.
- Size: Gutters come in a range of sizes including 4-inch, 5-inch, 6-inch, and more. The size of your roof and house affects which gutter size is right for your home.
- Material: While aluminum is one of the most common gutter materials, steel, vinyl, and copper gutters are also available. The material impacts the cost and service life. Talk to your contractor to choose the right gutter material for your home.
- Seams vs. seamless: Seamless gutters are less vulnerable to leaks, but they also cost more. Choose the type of gutters that work for your budget.
Know When to Replace Your Gutters
Typical gutters last about 20 years, although high-end copper gutters can last twice as long or longer. Some signs that it's time to replace your gutters include:
- Gutters are sagging or pulling away from the house
- Gutters need frequent maintenance and repair
- Gutters have rusted or corroded and can't be repaired
Top Gutter Maintenance Tips
Clean your gutters twice per year, or more often if your property has many trees that drop debris. If you're tired of cleaning your gutters twice annually (or more!), install gutter guards to protect your gutters from debris. Check caulking around gutters periodically, and replace caulking as needed.
Trust Us for Reliable Gutter Services
Proper roof and gutter maintenance can protect your home. Your gutters can last for decades and so can your roof, if you take good care of both. That's why homeowners in the Chicago area turn to FTC Oury Group for gutter installation. We're a trusted name for roof, siding, and gutter replacement.
We perform quality work that you can trust, to help ensure that your roof and gutters will last as long as possible. We can also install gutter guards to make your roof and gutter maintenance easier. If you're in need of new gutters, contact FTC Oury Group today to make an appointment for a free consultation.
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