What's in your Gutters?

With every fall season in the Pacific Northwest, we can count on two things: rain and fallen tree leaves. It is during this time that water damage restoration companies stay busy due to homeowner’s failed rain gutter systems and it is then, that dirty, unwanted grey water enters their homes. In some cases, a clogged gutter or downspout with no other significant problems can be the culprit for water dripping back behind the fascia boards and into your home. Many months later, this can cause dry rot, mold and other serious catastrophes that could have easily been avoided with preventative maintenance.

This photo was taken of wet debris after the first 35 feet of a seriously, clogged gutter system.

Q. What are the signs of a failed rain gutter system?

A. Simple. There’s various ways that tell without climbing up a ladder.

There are very few people who love to get on a ladder in the rain let alone clean out their gutters on one. So here are a few tips to avoid climbing a ladder and diagnosing problems from the ground:

1. Check all your downspouts first. Usually a clogged downspout is easily identifiable by looking at the outside face of the gutter. If you see those black or green lines dripping down the sides, than you most likely have debris packed inside or on top of the downspout drain. Round drains and downspouts tend to clog faster than square downspout runs. If the end of your downspout drips during a heavy rain instead of an even flow, you have a blockage of debris within the system.
2. Check the end of long gutter-runs that do not have a downspout. Often, long runs of gutters that have no downspout at the other end of the run will clog due to lack of water flow.
3. Check seams during rain fall for any visual cracks or drips. Cracks and drips usually happen from the winter before and aren’t caught until the next rainy season. As the cold weather moves in to freeze the retaining water, it expands and forces tension on the weaker seams and joints causing them crack.
4. Check to make sure gutter fasteners (nails or hangers) are tightly seated. Wet debris weight is heavier than you think and causes nails and hangers to pull away from the facia board. This also occurs after a freezing because of the water expansion or when dry rot has begun due to a previous leak. Note: Sometimes there is just too much debris which causes water to drip back behind the gutter and in between the fascia board without out having loose gutter nails at all.
5. Visually inspect the facia boards behind the gutters for mold, algae and/or dry rot. This is a pretty easy step but often overlooked. Why? Because most people know replacing this board means removing the gutters as well and a project like that is out of most “do it yourselfer’s” abilities.
6. Look to see that your downspouts have splash guards or tubes to divert water away from your homes foundation. These can easily be purchased at your local hardware store for very little money or you can have Powerhouse Cleaners Install them for you. More often than not, if you see algae and/or mold on the outside, it is usually for this reason.

This visual check takes only a few minutes and can easily save you time and money in the long run. If you find any of these tell-tale signs, please don’t hesitate to have us out for a FREE estimate and visual inspection.