How to Prepare Your Home for Spring Rains
How Can I Be Prepared for Heavy Spring Rains?
You may be asking “How can I be prepared for heavy spring rains?” because last year, the heavy spring rain brought disaster. If so, you are not alone. Many homeowners have suffered during a spring rain downpour. Whether it be flooded basements, foundation issues, rotting siding and soil erosion – and the cost to fix such problems is ever more frustrating. On top of the immediate problems, they contribute to further complications, such as mold, poor air quality, damaged sheet rock, water spots on ceiling, etc. Clearly, these problems need to be avoided!
To avoid these spring rain problems we must do two things:
- Identify the causes of these problems.
- Implement solutions.
The Cause – Malfunctioning Gutters
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 aka foundation, siding, landscaping, basement window wells, only has one defense system: the gutters!
Well-functioning gutters catch the swells of water that gushes off your roof and carry it safely away from your home.
During Heavy Rains, It’s Critical to Keep Your Gutters Healthy!
There’s a lot to know about a 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! For more information on downspouts see here.
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. This means that potentially thousands of gallons of water will 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.
How to Prepare for Heavy Spring Rain
All of these problems are simple really. However, fixing them on your own can be quite a challenge.
Gutter Cover Kansas City pride’s itself 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! They will identify the specific needs for your home and come up with a clear plan of solutions. Next they will send experienced technicians to implement solutions.
Finally, you will be able to enjoy the spring! No more worrying about costly foundation damage or flooded basements! Just sit back, relax and enjoy the warm spring breeze.
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!