The key to a strong foundation may be above your head. You may not know it, but your home’s gutter system plays a big role in preventing costly damage to your foundation.

Essentially, the purpose of your gutters is to capture rain and melting snow and keep it flowing away from your home. This protects not just the siding and wooden surfaces from water damage, but also the actual base of your home, your foundation, which can suffer cracks and leakage if exposed to pooled water or improper drainage. Clogged gutters can cost you a lot more than you might think.

Rain collected in your gutters needs to flow freely
away from your home and its foundation.

According to homeguides.sfgate.com, continual exposure to water and dampness near or within your dug or slab foundation can cause numerous types of damage:

• Water and moisture can cause foul odors in the basement and home.
• Moisture exposure to the foundation can promote dangerous mold and mildew growth.
• According to Angie’slist.com, water that pools near the foundation saturates the nearby soil and in-turn puts an enormous amount of pressure on the foundation of the home. The continuous pressure may cause the basement and even the home’s lower walls to push inward or crack. Water near the foundation can lead to the rotting of nearby exposed wood, and compromise the structural integrity (cracks and crumbling) of the foundation and home.
• As the water pooled near the foundation eventually drains away on its own, it tends to erode away the surrounding soil, which leads to the foundation settling and the home shifting a bit. This can result in floors no longer being level and cracks in your walls or even in the chimney.

These problems frequently require very costly repairs and can severely lower your home’s value. The solution is to have good drainage around the foundation and a reliable gutter system to keep water flow away and provide invaluable protection to the structure’s foundation.

Gutter Tips for a Healthy Foundation

Your gutters typically require frequent inspection and cleaning, simply because they tend to get clogged easily. You must take necessary steps to prevent a backup in the gutter system, which can force water overflow down the side of your home, falling next to the foundation and causing extensive damage.

Steps to take include:

• Clean gutters out at least twice per year and inspect them often. Look for damage and rust or signs the system is not doing its intended job.
• Invest in gutter guards, which can virtually stop most of the clogging issues. They are a simple solution to a potentially expensive foundation problem. The guards essentially attach to your current gutter system to cover the exposed areas to stop debris from collecting. They prevent leaves, tree branches, pine needles and even bird nests from clogging the gutter and stopping the flow of water away from the home. They offer a lifetime of protection for your home and eliminate the need for you to climb the ladder for constant cleaning.
• If your home is having drainage issues speak to a professional about the cause and address it before damage is done. Prevention can save you a lot of headaches and money down the road.

Clogged gutters can cause costly damage to your home and its foundation and prevention is your best defense. To learn more about gutter guards and drainage solutions, call 1-800-975-6666.