Gutters and gutter systems are a bit boring. We often don’t think about what these systems are doing throughout the year. That is unless the gutter starts to fall off the house, the gutter leaks, or the gutter clogs. The gutter system is one of the most important systems at your home. When properly installed and maintained, the gutters and downspouts work to move rainwater away from the house. Too much rainwater around the house and your basement may get water intrusion.
They Fall Off the House
So the gutters are not really falling off of the house in the photo above. However, they are detached from the house. The gutters are also holding water because they are clogged. This gutter appears to be missing a bracket that secures the gutter to the fascia board. The condition seen above presents a couple concerns. 1) This condition allows rainwater to run behind the gutter from the roof, which will result in water pooling near the foundation. 2) The gutter may continue to detach especially from increased weight like snow and ice and the gutter may fall off completely. This gutter needs to be refastened to the fascia board by an approved bracket. Then, these gutters should be cleaned out which takes us to the next issue…
They Clog Up
Gutters just love to catch leaves, sticks, pine needles, and tennis balls. Yep, even tennis balls end up in there (photo above). Debris really becomes a problem when it piles up to restrict water flow. Oftentimes, the gutter remains clear but the downspout clogs up. Both gutter and downspout need to be clear to function properly. The water fills up the gutter and the water overflows. This results in significant water pouring down near the foundation wall. This is often the cause of wet basements. Wet basements can lead to various other problems in the home so cleaning the gutters is essential. If you have trees near your home, you should make sure the gutters are cleaned at least a couple times a year. In the fall, you may need to clean your gutters multiple times to make sure they operate properly.
The Gutters Leak
Some gutters leak because the downspout was poorly attached. The gutter above shows a downspout without an outlet tube in the gutter. When it rains a large amount of water will not enter the downspout but will instead pour down near the foundation. Another leaking point is in the gutter corners. If you see a split seam that has opened up then the gutter corner is likely leaking. Some corners can be resealed while others need to be replaced. Leaking corners can result in water near the foundation walls. This leakage is usually not significant enough to damage a foundation wall however the leaks can damage the fascia board where the gutter attaches. Oftentimes this will lead to a rotten fascia board which will require repair.
More on Gutters
A couple more mentions about gutter systems. It’s very important to get the downspouts to drain at least 4 feet away from the foundation wall in most cases. Remember, the idea is to get water away from the home. Make sure the system can flow properly. Some homeowners purchase covers and screens for their gutters. When installed and maintained properly, these systems can limit or eliminate the need to clean the gutters. In addition, the gutters should be sloped toward the downspouts so standing water does stay in the gutter. Various sizes of gutters exist with 5″ being the most common in our area. The common downspout size is 2″ x 3″, however many homeowners elect to upgrade to a 3″ x 4″ size. This Old House has a nice site to read up on sizing your gutter system here.
Lask Inspection Group, LLC is a home inspection and commercial property inspection company serving the greater Rockford, Illinois area. We serve Rockford, IL and other Illinois cities such as Loves Park, Machesney Park, Chicago, Naperville, Aurora, Geneva, Dekalb, Sycamore, Elgin, Lake Zurich, Arlington Heights, Crystal Lake, and other Chicago suburbs. Lask Inspection Group, LLC also provides thermal imaging services to residential and commercial clients. We hope you found this post useful and helpful for you today!
