Get Your Home Ready for Spring

Spring is finally here…we hope! After a record-breaking cold winter, Kansas City is ready for Spring. Learn how to get your home and gutters ready for Spring.

Why Should My Home Be Prepared for Heavy Spring Rains?

Spring rains should feel restorative. But if our homes aren’t ready it could be devastating.

Unprepared homes may face these dangers:

  1. Flooded basements
  2. Foundation issues
  3. Rotting siding
  4. Soil erosion
  5. Mold
  6. Interior damage of sheet rock and water spots on ceiling

What Should I Do to Prepare My Home?

  1. Identify problem areas
  2. Implement solutions

The Cause – Malfunctioning Gutters

Cleaning gutters is at the top of every list for spring cleaning. And there’s a real reason for this, most of the problems mentioned above result from the same cause: too much water around the foundation of the home.

Amazingly, just one inch of rain turns into 1,246 gallons of rainwater on an average sized home! The exterior of the house, the foundation, siding, landscaping, basement window wells, only has one defense system: the gutters!

Well-functioning gutters catch the swells of water that gush off your roof and carry them safely away from your home. Properly working gutters are key to having your home ready for spring.

During Heavy Rains, It’s Critical to Keep Your Gutters Healthy

There’s a lot to know about your guttering system.

However, for now, let’s briefly explore your guttering system to give it a much needed “check-up”.

Undersized Gutters

The size of your gutters determines how much rain water can be carried off of your roof at any given time. For example, a 5 inch gutter can handled 5,520 sq feet 6 inch 7,960 sq feet. Your roof surface area determines what size gutters you need.

Undersized Down Spouts

The amount of water gutters can handle is dependent on the downspouts which carry the water down and away from the home. A downspout that is 2 by 3 inches can carry 600 square feet of water, while a 3 by 4 inches can handle 1,200 square feet!

Poorly Sloped/Sagging Gutters

Gutters should not be perfectly level on your home. This might seem counter-intuitive at first glance – we like things to be level. However, gutters must be slightly angled to allow the water to flow towards the downspout. If the water is not given a proper direction to flow, it might just flow right over the top – defeating the gutters entire purpose in the first place!

Clogged Gutters

If a gutter is clogged, the water cannot continue to flow towards the downspout and away from your home. In fact, the water only has one choice, over the front of your gutter or behind the gutter. This means that potentially thousands of gallons of water will drench your home’s siding and trim and then collect against the foundation of your home.

An even scarier truth: It only takes one handful of debris to clog a guttering system. This means it is vital to stay on top of cleaning your gutters. How often should you check and clean them? At the very least – this should be done weekly in the fall and in the spring. This high frequency might surprise you for the spring, but many flowers, maple seeds and other trees debris fall regularly in the spring.

Gutter Cover Kansas City™ was featured on KSHB News – Doug Stacye discusses the guttering issues many homeowners face in the spring.

A Scary Truth:

“It only takes one handful of debris to clog a guttering system.” – Doug Stacye Guttering Expert

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How to Prepare Your Home for Heavy Spring Rains

We’ve identified poorly functioning gutters as the cause of many rain water problems. Still not sure if your gutters are properly sized? Or exactly how to re-slope a gutter yourself? Or thinking that cleaning your gutters isn’t how you want to spend your spring weekends?

You’re definitely not alone.

Gutter Cover Kansas City™ consultants pride themselves on being rain water experts. You could say they are “gutter doctors”. When they come to your home they will do a thorough 21 point inspection to identify the specific needs of your home. They will come up with long lasting solutions for your home and will send EXPERIENCED TECHNICIANS to implement them.

This means no more worrying about costly foundation damage or flooded basements! Just sit back, relax and enjoy the warm spring breeze. Your home is ready for spring!

Gutter Cover Kansas City™ will be happy to provide solutions for your home. It’s easy to SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT – you can even meet with them VIRTUALLY.

But will gutter guards really work on your Kansas City home? Read this article to find out.

 

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Updated Original Post March 3, 2021