Gutters are like the unsung heroes of your roofing system, so it’s only natural that you would want expert gutter advice. When gutters are doing their job well, you don’t even notice they’re there, but when they don’t, the effects can be disastrous. Make no mistake about it: gutters are important for the protection of your roof and the rest of your home. Keep reading to learn more about the role of gutters and where they should be installed for maximum protection.
Why Gutters Are Necessary for Every Part of Your Home
Without gutters, water would flow right off the edges of the roof. It would steadily trickle down your siding and pool near the foundation of your home. However, if you do have them, this water rolls off the edge of the roof into the horizontal gutter to then run down the downspouts, which empty a few feet from the base of your home. Re-directing water in this way prevents damage to four key parts of your home.
Roof
Without gutters, water tends to pool on the roof. Your roof materials are not designed to withstand pooling water for this long. The continued water exposure can cause them to lose granules and peel off the roof deck. Before long, you’ll end up with roof leaks. The roof deck may also start rotting and deteriorating prematurely due to shingle failure. Gutters minimize the time during which your roof is in contact with water, helping to extend the lifespan of both your shingles and roof deck.
Siding
When water trickles down siding, no matter what type of siding you use, it causes issues. If you have wood siding, prolonged water exposure can lead to rot, which can lead to insect problems. Luckily with vinyl siding, rot isn’t a concern; however, your vinyl will become more brittle and stained over time. With aluminum siding, corrosion is a concern. Regardless of which siding material you have, gutters give the water somewhere else to flow, protecting your siding from these threats.
Foundation
You don’t want water pooling along your home’s foundation. Over time, this pooling moisture causes cracks in your foundation. If the foundation already has cracks, pooling water penetrates those cracks, causing further damage. Even if you don’t end up with a major foundation leak, this water seepage can lead to mold and mildew growth. These can be expensive issues, both monetarily and time-wise. It’s a lot easier to install and maintain gutters that direct water away from your home’s foundation before issues like this occur. Your basement will stay much dryer, and you’re less likely to need costly foundation repairs.
Landscaping
Water tumbling down the side of your home isn’t good for landscaping either. Garden beds will quickly develop divots and low spots from the falling water, and your mulch may get rinsed away. Gutters keep the water out of your garden beds so your landscaping looks fresh and tidy.
Proper Gutter Installation and Placement
Where do you place gutters on a house? In most cases, roofers will place gutters along every roof edge. This ensures that they’re present to collect runoff water – regardless of which direction the rain is falling or the wind is blowing.
Each horizontal gutter will feed into a downspout. This part of the gutter system runs vertically down the exterior wall of your home. When possible, downspouts are positioned in corners; however, you need one every 25 – 40 feet to make sure they don’t get overloaded. As a result, longer roof edges need more than one downspout. Downspouts also need to be long enough to direct water away from the home’s foundation. Sometimes, this means adding extenders or positioning them to empty into a storm drain.
The proper position of your gutters is also necessary to ensure they capture all of the runoff from the roof. Usually, a roofer will position a gutter so it extends just past the eave of your roof. This maximizes how much rainwater is caught.
Each gutter also needs to be properly sloped towards the downspout. The exact pitch will depend on the length of the gutter run. This is one reason why it’s so important to have gutters professionally installed. If they are not pitched correctly, they won’t flow towards the downspout, which defeats their purpose. Pitching a gutter properly requires experience and some key calculations.
Who to Call For Expert Gutter Advice & Professional Installations
Gutters may not be the most exciting part of a roof, but they are absolutely essential for the protection of your home. If your roof is missing gutters or they’re falling into disrepair, contact the gutter experts at Bill West Roofing in Lee’s Summit, MO. We can give you expert gutter advice and recommendations. We repair and install top-of-the-line, seamless gutters, and our experienced installers will make sure they’re perfectly positioned to keep your home dry.