Your rain gutters are much more than decorative trim that happens to funnel rainwater away from the roof of your house. They play an important role in protecting your home and your landscaping. The system of gutters around your roof takes the rainwater away, along with leaves, acorns, and tree debris. When gutters get clogged and backed up, they fail to work properly and damage can occur. Consider these reasons why you should keep your gutters clean and free of debris.
Damage to the Exterior of the Home
When clogs occur in rain gutters, rainwater and debris often get backed up and run down the surface of the home’s outside walls, getting behind siding. This can cause deterioration to the siding itself, as well as to insulation and materials behind the siding. Homes with painted or stucco-ed exteriors can sustain damage to the paint and materials in the plaster. The backup of water and weight of the wet debris also causes damage to the fascia (this is the board that runs behind the gutter) and to the brackets which hold the gutters in place.
Foundation and Basement Damage
As water backs up and overflows from the rain gutters, it often pools along the home’s foundation. In the colder months, this water freezes and causes cracks and damage to the foundation. Further excess water flow then seeps into the cracks and causes more damage to the foundation and the basement.
Mold and Pests
The collection of wet debris in your rain gutters provides an ideal breeding ground for all sorts of insects, including mosquitoes. These bugs can go on to create an infestation in your home, and some carry diseases like West Nile Virus. The dead and decaying tree debris and leaves also create a great deal of mold, which is an irritant to allergy sufferers and can cause sickness in others.
As you can see, having your gutters cleaned and maintained properly is essential to maintaining the structure of your home and to the health of those who live there. If you’re looking for an expert team in the Medford, Oregon area to keep your gutters working properly, give Hadley Roofing a call at (541) 779-9545 today.