No More Water in This Basement
With the rain comes the potential for water damage.
The recent weather system brought us a considerable amount of rain – in some places as much as 1-1/2 inches. To our delight a customer who just had gutter protection installed this fall called our office to tell us she was pleasantly surprised not to have water in her basement. She said that although she kept her gutters cleaned in the past, whenever it rained, water would run into the basement. Her question was, “Why did the gutter guard make a difference?”
Although homeowners may regularly clean out their gutters, clogging can still occur from leaves, seeds or sticks. As it rains, even more leaves are caused to fall from nearby trees into the gutters. It only takes a handful of leaves to stop up a downspout opening. These can constantly blow into gutters even after they are freshly cleaned. Have you ever raked your yard and turned around to find it full of leaves again? If it’s in your yard it is probably in your gutter. Even if screens are installed debris can filter through the openings and clogs can form in the downspouts causing water to back up and overflow.
Overflowing water not only can seep through foundation walls but can also rot the edges of a roof. Which can lead to costly repairs. Another problem that is created when water is trapped in a gutter, is that it provides a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
What’s involved in cleaning gutters and downspouts?
One of the main concerns is ladder safety. Work from a ladder that is placed on a stable, level area. And if possible to have someone hold the ladder. You must keep moving the ladder around the house. Never reach out too far to the left or right or you may end up on the ground. Which could result in serious injury if not worse. Cleaning gutters is a messy job as you must scrape out the built up accumulation of leaves and twigs. Protective gear is a must to protect your hands and eyes. Once the debris is removed then the gutter should be flushed with water from the garden hose to rinse away anything left behind.
And have you considered what’s required to clean a clogged downspout? If it can’t be cleared by a running hose then a plumbers snake needs to be run up the downspout to manually remove the clog.
Are we having fun yet?
Gutter Cover will relieve you of all the hassle and trouble involved in gutter cleaning. As well as help to eliminate many problems with your home. We cannot guarantee that water will never get into your basement. However, it will cut down on the likelihood of it happening as Advantage Gutter Guard® allows water to flow freely through the gutters, downspouts and away from your home and foundation.