Learn Why Gutters Are So Important for Protecting Your Home
Understanding why gutters are important can help Omaha homeowners protect their homes from costly damage. If you’re taking inventory of all the things protecting your home, you should look beyond just the four walls and roof and understand the role of other key systems. For example, your gutters play a critical role in directing rainwater away from your home and protecting it—but why do they matter so much?
Why Are Gutters Important?
- Prevent roof leaks and water damage
- Protect your foundation from erosion
- Avoid landscape damage and soil erosion
- Maintain your home’s curb appeal
As leading roofing professionals in Omaha, NE, our team at Anchor Roofing is focused on ensuring our customers are fully protecting their homes against the elements. That includes a well-designed gutter system with the right capacity to handle rainwater even during the most intense storms.
In today’s post, we’re explaining why gutters are so important—as well as tips on how to determine if you need new gutters.
Protect Your Roof Against Water Damage
Moisture is one of your roof’s biggest enemies. When your roof is damaged, it leaves opportunities for water to penetrate through the surface and damage underlying areas such as the underlayment and structural supports.
In a similar vein, if water can’t run off of your roof, it can accumulate and seep through, causing roofing issues. Gutters help to protect your roof by ensuring rainwater, snowmelt, and other forms of moisture are efficiently removed. If your gutters aren’t functioning properly, you may face issues such as pooling water and ice dams during the winter.
Avoid Foundation Issues
Your home’s foundation is one of the most important parts of its construction. In addition, foundation damage or issues such as flooded basements can be among the most expensive problems to fix for any homeowner.
In addition to removing water from your roof, another reason why gutters are so important is because they direct water away from your home. Without gutters, rainwater would run over the edges of your roof or down your home’s walls, collecting near your home’s foundation. Over time, this accumulating water can eat away from your foundation, potentially leading to major structural issues or basement flooding.
Prevent Erosion and Landscape Damage
In a similar vein, when gutters direct water away from your home, they prevent issues such as soil erosion and damage to your landscaping.
Left to its own devices, rainwater will simply find the quickest path away from your home. Without a proper drainage system, including gutters and downspouts, this will often lead to large divots forming in your landscaping or lawn, as water rushing past with each rain steadily carries away soil and detracts from your home’s appearance.
With a well-designed gutter system, you can prevent these issues and prevent rainwater from accumulating in flower beds, on sidewalks, and in other undesirable areas.
Maintain Your Home’s Appearance
Without gutters, rainwater will flow unchecked through the path of least resistance. Most often, this will result in higher volumes of rainwater running down the side of your home. Over time, this detracts from the home’s appearance, eating away at the paint and leaving uneven water stains on the siding.
A gutter system helps to protect your siding or house paint from roof runoff, maintaining your home’s appearance for longer.
How to Determine If You Need New Gutters
While a well-designed gutter system will protect your home for years, even the most durable gutters have an expected lifespan after which they will need to be replaced. Homeowners can extend the life of their gutters with regular maintenance and repairs. However, you should also watch for signs that your gutters must be replaced, including:
- Large cracks or splits
- Significant leaks or overflowing rainwater
- High volumes of rust or peeling paint in multiple areas
- Gutters that are sagging or pulling away from your roof
Anchor Roofing Can Help Protect Your Home from Rainwater
At Anchor Roofing, our team of residential roofing professionals makes it our mission to fully protect your home from the elements. That includes designing and installing efficient gutter systems that will ensure rainwater goes precisely where it should—protecting all parts of your home from water damage.
Whether your home has no gutters or you have a failing gutter system, our team is here to help. Reach out to our team to schedule an initial consultation and get an estimate.