Seamless Gutters and Gutter Guards MN
The number one culprit for causing water penetration into the basement of a house is rain gutter downspouts discharging rain water right alongside the foundation. Is your basement damp? Do you see cracks in the foundation? Gutters can clog and force the water to overflow over the sides thus causing water to accumulate around your foundation.
Walk around your property and look for indications that water is causing erosion in unexpected places. The question as to when you should replace your gutters may seem obvious, but actually you should inspect your gutters for signs that are not so obvious.
Are Your Rain Gutters Doing Their Job?
Here are some clues that you may have gutter problems
Mold or peeling paint on your home’s exterior may be a sign that your gutters are leaking and may need replacing or fixing.
Discoloring of the siding of your home can be from backsplash. Wind (blowback) can force water from overflowing gutters onto your exterior siding. That discoloration of your siding is an indicator that you may have a gutter problem.
In the winter, look to see if snow and ice is building up within the gutter and on the roof. These can cause leaks that damage your home. Water can seep behind the gutters in some circumstances and cause water to leak into your walls causing mold and rot.
Weight from clogs and debris can cause a gutter to pull away from a house or sag and this can also cause water to leak behind the gutter which wreaks havoc. If your gutters are not hanging properly they may not channel water into the downspouts in an efficient manner.
Another indicator that your gutters are not doing their job is if your basement is damp or there are cracks in the foundation. Gutters can clog and force the water to overflow over the sides thus causing water to accumulate around your foundation.
These are the kinds of problems that an experienced Minnesota gutter contractor can spot for you. Do not wait until you have a problem. Be diligent. It is to your advantage to inspect your gutters several times a year. You do not necessarily have to climb on the roof to do this.
Walk around your property and look for indications that water is causing erosion. Little sections of rocky material where you originally had smooth topsoil are one sign. A small area of uneven topsoil, spaces where the water on what was a smooth surface now pools is another.
Give your gutters a regular visual inspection from the ground. In particular, make it a point to walk around during a rain storm. Watch your gutter system in action. Inspect each downspout during the rain. Where does the water flow once it exits the downspout?
Do this walk around in different seasons. If you live in an area with deciduous trees that drop their leaves in fall as we do here in Minnesota, make it a point to look for overflows or blockages caused by buildup of the leaf material, especially if you do not have gutter guards as part of your gutter system.
Do the same thing in winter, particularly after a snowstorm in freezing weather.
Often times you will notice the snow melting unevenly not only because of the direction the roof faces, the North side getting less sun, for instance, but also if you have issues with roofing insulation, different parts of the roof will melt the snow at different rates.