Columbus Roofing: Gutter Installation Specialists
Your gutters play an important role in keeping your roof in working order and protecting your home. As your roof sheds rainwater or snowmelt, it needs a place to go; your gutters carry water off your roofing materials and away from your home – as well as away from your home’s foundation – to ensure that runoff doesn’t damage your house or your foundation.
However, damaged, old or improperly installed gutters can pose a serious threat to your roofing materials. In fact, gutters that are not functioning properly can result in such severe damage that you need a completely new roof.
At New View Roofing, we provide premium gutter installation, repair and maintenance services to ensure all components of your roofing system are functioning properly.
The Benefits of Properly Installed Gutters
Our team of roofing contractors and gutter specialists are experienced in proper installation techniques and practices.
When you hire New View to repair or replace your gutters, you can expect the following benefits:
-
Rainwater will properly be guided to the downspout.
-
Water damage to your home’s siding can be prevented.
-
Basement flooding and foundation damage can be avoided.
-
Lawn erosion can be prevented and landscaping preserved.
How Can You Tell if Your Gutters Are Damaged?
It can be difficult to tell if your gutters are damaged when it’s not raining or your roof isn’t shedding snowmelt – but often, a quick visual inspection (as long as you know what to look for) can give you some important clues. Walk around your home and look for these ten signs your gutters are failing:
-
Visible overflow
-
Unexplained water in your basement
-
Sagging or collapsing sections
-
Cracks or fractures
-
Gaps between sections
-
Standing water in your gutters
-
Peeling paint or water damage marks on your fascia
-
Mold growth on fascia
-
Soil erosion beneath your roof line
-
Nails or screws in your gutters, near your downspouts or in your yard
#1. Visible Water Overflow
If you can physically see water overflowing from your gutters, it’s important that you do what you can to check for a clog.
The sooner you can clear out a clog, the better. If you must wait until the water stops flowing, do your best to get to it as soon as possible.
When water overflows from your gutters rather than pouring from your downspout, it may seep into your fascia – the boards facing out beneath your roof.
When that happens, it’s easy for mold to grow and wood to rot. Significant wood rot can even compromise your whole roof’s integrity.
#2. Unexplained Water in Your Basement
Unexplained water in your basement may be seeping in through the walls, which puts your home’s structure at risk. This often happens when gutters don’t take water away from the home via a downspout. If you don’t have a basement, you may notice that water has seeped into your foundation.
#3. Sagging or Collapsing Sections
If you notice that some sections of your gutters are sagging or collapsing, you need to have them repaired as soon as possible. Sagging gutters don’t force water out through a downspout; instead, the water pools there. If enough water pools there, it can become too heavy and collapse that section.
#4. Cracks or Fractures
Cracked and fractured gutters leak, which means they can’t carry away water like they’re supposed to. When that happens, water can soak the earth around your foundation. Moisture affects your home’s foundation in several negative ways, and if you have a basement, your basement can be subjected to a wide range of problems, too.
Over time, your foundation can shift – particularly if the ground around it remains wet for an extended period. When your foundation shifts, your home can develop:
-
Water leaks
-
Cracks in the walls
-
Cracks in the floors
-
Bowed walls
-
Gaps in the soil around your home
-
Pools of water that won’t drain
-
Cracked concrete slabs
-
Cracked or falling chimney bricks
-
Out-of-alignment doors that don’t close properly
-
Windows that stick shut or don’t open and close properly
The problem with these issues is that you won’t notice them until there’s already a significant amount of damage to your foundation. That’s why it’s best to prevent as many of these problems as you can – and the first step in doing so is to ensure your gutters are working properly to drain rain and snowmelt away from your foundation.
#5. Gaps Between Sections
Gaps between sections of your gutters prevent water from getting from Point A to Point B, which means it all pours down the side of your house. You’ll probably notice soil erosion and other issues in the area, and you may even have moisture problems inside your home if the water runs down your exterior walls.
You may be able to fix the gaps yourself by using patches, but if doing so will change the pitch of your gutters or you’re not comfortable making these types of repairs, it’s best to work with a gutter repair and replacement professional.
#6. Standing Water in Your Gutters
Standing water in your gutters probably means that there’s a clog, but it can mean that the pitch is wrong, as well. Check for a clog first; then, see if the pitch looks off. It should be slightly sloped so that water inside the gutter can run freely toward your downspouts. If your gutters are improperly pitched, you’ll likely deal with standing water – and you should call a professional to correct the problem as soon as possible.
#7. Peeling Paint or Water Damage Marks on Your Fascia
When you notice peeling paint or water damage marks on your fascia (those are the boards that face outward beneath your roof’s overhang), you may have a water incursion problem. If the wood that makes up your fascia gets wet and stays wet, wood rot is right around the corner; you may end up needing roof repairs or replacement sooner rather than later.
#8. Mold Growth on Fascia
If mold is growing on your fascia, you certainly have a moisture problem. Because mold can be so pervasive, you need to call a roofing expert immediately.
#9. Soil Erosion Beneath Your Roof Line
Eroded soil on the ground, directly beneath your roof line, indicates that water is running right off your roof and onto the ground. This can pose a big threat to your home’s foundation, so you should call an expert to evaluate your gutter system as soon as possible.
#10. Nails or Screws in Your Gutters, Near Your Downspouts or in Your Yard
If you find nails or screws in your gutters, near your downspouts or in your yard, there’s a good chance that parts of your gutters are becoming unfastened. Try to figure out where these fasteners came from; if you can’t, you should have a professional inspect your roof as soon as possible.
Additionally, if it’s been a while since your last roof inspection, you should schedule one with New View Roofing today. Our team of experts offers free annual roof inspections, and during each one, we check out the gutters to ensure they’re protecting your home like they should.