Gutters: the cheapest maintenance that saves the most
A clogged gutter is behind more foundation cracks, rotten fascia and wet basements than any other single thing. Twice a year, and here is how.
Ask a foundation contractor, a roofer and a basement waterproofer what the most common cause of the damage they fix is, and all three give the same answer: water landing where it should not, because a gutter was full or a downspout ended at the foundation.
A roof sheds an enormous amount of water. An inch of rain on a 2,000 square foot roof is about 1,200 gallons. Gutters exist to carry that to a place where it drains away from the house. When they cannot, the water goes over the edge, down the wall, and into the soil beside the foundation, which is exactly where you do not want 1,200 gallons.
What a full gutter does
- Overflows down the fascia board, which rots. Rotten fascia is why gutters sag and pull away, which makes the overflow worse.
- Soaks the soil at the foundation. In clay soils that means heaving and cracks; in any soil it means a wet basement or crawlspace.
- Holds water against the roof edge. In winter that water freezes, and the ice dam that forms pushes meltwater back up under the shingles and into the ceiling.
- Grows things. A gutter with two seasons of leaves in it has soil, seedlings and mosquitoes.
Twice a year
Late spring after the seeds and blossoms drop, and late fall after the leaves. If you have pines or oaks over the roof, add a third pass. From a ladder placed on firm ground, with someone home, scoop the debris into a bucket, then run the hose from the far end toward the downspout and watch that it comes out the bottom. If it does not, the downspout is clogged; a plumber's snake from the bottom or a hard blast from the top usually clears it.
Downspouts matter more than gutters
A downspout that ends at the foundation has done half its job. Add an extension or a splash block that carries water at least four feet from the house, and further on the side that slopes toward it. Buried drain lines are better still, if they were installed to drain to daylight and have not collapsed. This one change fixes more wet basements than any sump pump.
Guards
Gutter guards cut the cleaning to a check, not a scoop, and they are worth it under heavy trees. They do not make gutters maintenance-free. Fine needles and shingle grit still get through, and the guards themselves collect debris on top. Anyone who tells you that you will never touch the gutter again is selling guards.
When to call a Pro
A two-story house with a steep grade, a roof you cannot see the edge of from a ladder, gutters that have pulled loose, or fascia that is soft to the touch. A roofer or gutter Pro cleans, reseals the seams, rehangs the loose runs and replaces the rotten board in one visit, and it is one of the least expensive service calls in the trades.
Trades this touches: Roofing, Landscaping, Cleaning & Restoration.
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