Gutters aren’t usually the first thing people think about when they think about their homes. When it comes to protecting your home, however, few other features of your house are as important. Most people know that gutters are designed to collect rainwater as it drains off the roof of your home and disperses it away from your home. But did you know that gutter systems are designed to protect your home in other ways too? Read on to find out about 5 surprising ways your gutters protect your home.
It Protects The Walls of Your Home
An efficiently functioning gutter system will allow any precipitation that falls on your roof to flow through your gutter system and into the ground away from the home. As the rainwater flows through your gutters it takes any organic material with it through your gutter system. This organic material, typically consisting of leaves, sticks, dirt, small branches, and other debris can get trapped or stuck, which can then create clogs in your home’s gutter system. If a clog in your gutter is overlooked for too long and grows large enough, water can leak over the gutter and down the side of the house, possibly seeping through the walls and even into your basement.
Gutters Keep Your Foundation Dry
It’s clear that water on and around your house can do serious damage and that gutters are there to mitigate the injury to your home that comes from rain and snowstorms. Not only do gutters keep water off the walls of your home, but they protect your home’s foundation as well. If your home’s gutter system separates from the side of the roof it can allow rainwater to fall off the edge of your roof instead of collecting in the gutters. If this occurs, rain can run down the side of your home and pool in your foundation, a serious and potentially very expensive complication. Gutters are particularly necessary for protecting your foundation if your home is at the bottom of a slope on any side where water will pool along the foundation, or if your home has little to no overhang.
Gutters Help Prevent Mold Damage
Gutters help keep the walls and foundation of your home safe from water damage, which means they also help prevent mold growth as well. Any water damage or part of your home that is damp for a prolonged period of time is susceptible to mold growth. Mold can not only cause deterioration of the walls and siding of your home but can present a serious health hazard to your family as well. Making sure your gutters are properly maintained so they can effectively keep water away from your home is one of the best preventive solutions to warding off mold growth.
Gutters Help Keep Your Yard Safe
If your home had no gutters or your gutters weren’t kept in good working order, water would not only spill down your walls but would go wherever it wanted into your yard. Properly working gutter systems not only divert rainwater and snowmelt away from your home but also away from your yard. If water is not corralled away from your yard it can erode soil, ruin landscaping and create small, standing pools of water that can quickly become mosquito breeding grounds.
Keeps Away Infestations
Alongside keeping your home clear of standing pools of water, gutters can protect your home from other kinds of pest and animal infestations. Anytime debris accumulates on and around your house, it creates the perfect spaces for pests and small animals to build nests. Having your home’s gutter system regularly cleaned and maintained will guarantee that there is no build-up of leaves, needles and other debris in which pests or other small animals might congregate.
