Issaquah Window and Gutter Cleaning Service Issaquah, WA

Homeowner Information Central

11/1/2018
3 Ways Clogged Gutters Can Cause Damage

1. Clogged gutters can cause damage to the foundation of your home! Having a gutter backed up with gunk; leaves, debris, bio matter, or having a bottleneck somewhere along the line can lead to massive problems for you and your home. The purpose of the gutter and downspout system is to collect water and collect it from your roof, move it to the exterior edges, and then run it down the sides of the building and AWAY from the foundation. When gutters are backed up we get some pretty nasty results. The water collected will want to flow somewhere, and if it can't make it's way along the desired course and through the downspout then we will have to deal with gravity taking control of the situation. Water backed up will fill up the gutter and then instead of running through the down spout and away from the foundation it will spill over the gutter itself and either run down the house or drip down below to the ground. As you can imagine, this can have awful implications with regard to the foundation of the home. Water pooling up along the baseline of the house is a sign of a real issue and it may not be evident immediately but over time it can cause some serious issues. Don't believe us on the importance? Ask you homeowner's insurance company how they view backed-up gutters when it comes time to file a MASSIVE claim like a foundation issue.

2. Gutter backup can damage certain surfaces! You'll notice that gutters aren't made out of wood or some other super absorbent material. That's because the prolonged presence of water can have some really adverse effects on certain materials over time. There is a very specific reason why the gutters on your house are positioned where they are. The goal of moving water from the roof to the gutter to the downspout to away from the foundation isn't there by accident. When water pools in the gutter it causes a variety of issues. Getting moisture away from the house is critical, and when it sits idle in a backed up gutter it can interact with the fascia that runs horizontally under the edge of the roof. These can get soggy, moldy, and weak when it comes to holding weight (like the gutter!) and we've seen this cause a variety of key components to break off and collapse.

3. Gutter spillover can damage your landscaping! When your gutters back up and spill over the edge the dangers of damaging the foundation and siding and fascia are all real threats. One aspect that gets overlooked is what happens to the landscaping around the home that sits directly below the edge of the roof and gutter. A lot of homeowners put as much attention into their yards as they do with the upkeep of the inside of their home. Do you really want a steady drip of stale, moldy water to fall into that new bamboo tree you planted this past spring? We see beds of ground cover, herbs and spices, and exotic plants and trees destroyed every year because of this. Let us know what sort of landscaping you have and ask how you can best protect it from man-made damage. It's already hard enough to keep some of these exotic and specialty plant/tree breeds alive with steady care and maintenance. Don't let your hard work go to waste due to a faulty gutter system.

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11/3/2018
2 Things to do right now to improve water run off

1. Your plants and landscaping can serve dual purposes! Having some low ground cover that has some solid soil grip is a great way to go. Grass and other low ground cover varieties will often absorb some of the moisture and they wont move down grade as a result. Some different types of bark or really loose sitting material might slide on down and they aren't the most absorbent material in the world. Concrete, rock, liners, and pavers can also help with this.

2. Install a French Drain! Sounds fancy doesn't it? Good thing is you don't even need to be French to make one of these happen. The man who perfected the technology was from Massachusetts and his last name just so happened to be French. The entire purpose is to take standing water and bring it away from the foundation using a gradual decline in slope via a perforated tube surrounded by rock or gravel. There are varieties to this (Finished house vs. one under construction... water already in the basement.... no slope at all to work with).

Regardless of where you're at currently, if you have constant soggy material around the exterior of the house it might be a god time to take a look and see what's going on with the foundation. Are the gutters clean and clear? Are the downspouts able to remove rain water from the foundation without impediment?

We're happy to help you protect the biggest investment you've made in your entire life!

Call us today! 425-448-8484