Every year during the rainy season, your home's gutter and downspout system effectively prevents costly water damage by safely collecting and diverting thousands of gallons of roof runoff.
Except, that is, when it doesn't. Damage due to clogged or leaking gutters as well as downspout problems is unsightly, destructive, and, typically, expensive to repair. Here are some examples of how gutter and downspout issues can trigger home water damage from the roof to the basement.
Exterior Wall Damage
A clogged gutter filled with stagnant water becomes very heavy, bending its mounting brackets and often permanently damaging the fascia board around the roof where the gutter attaches to the house. The gutter itself may also sag and segments may disconnect due to the extreme weight.
Overflow from clogged gutters often runs down the outside of the exterior wall. This causes damage in several ways:
- Unsightly staining of wood or vinyl siding on exterior walls as well as permanent discoloration of brick and mortar.
- Exterior walls are generally rain- and splash-resistant, but not designed to resist a continuous cascade from a clogged, overflowing gutter during heavy rain. Water infiltrating behind the siding causes internal damage, including rot and mold growth concealed within the wall structure.
Foundation and Basement Issues
Overflow impacting the ground directly beneath clogged gutters typically penetrates deeply into the soil and may cause multiple water damage consequences.
- Pooling water around the perimeter of the foundation during every rain can eventually undermine the slab and cause cracking or other deterioration.
- Over-saturated soil exerts excess pressure on basement walls, triggering cracks and leakage into the basement that causes indoor water damage and mold.
- Pounding water from clogged gutters frequently excavates a deep rut in the ground directly below, forming continuous pooling that gradually penetrates the foundation or basement.
- Landscaping beneath chronically overflowing gutters is often uprooted and destroyed.
Downspout Issues
Where gutter downspouts are too short, roof runoff may be discharged too close to the house. As absorption deep into the soil occurs, foundation and basement water damage may result.
