Is your gutter system up to the challenge?
Your gutters are like the veins of your home, but instead of moving blood through your body, they move water away from your home keeping it dry, clean, and free of mold, mildew, and rot. A gutter system that isn’t working correctly can damage both your home’s foundation and its curb appeal.
Weather Vane installs leaf protection gutter guards to help you reduce your annual gutter maintenance needs, which is good news for the average homeowner desiring a relatively maintenance-free gutter system.
Two of the most common reasons gutters stop doing their job is that they’re either outdated or the wrong size for your home. But how do you know which it is? The team at Weather Vane can help answer these questions.
Signs Your Gutter System Is Outdated
An outdated gutter system could be damaged or rusty meaning it won’t work right and it will look bad. To figure out if your gutters are outdated, look for these signs.
Their Age
This might seem obvious but not a lot of people know that gutters become outdated after 15-20 years. If you’ve lived in your house for 18 years and never replaced the gutters, it might be time.
Icicles
Icicles shouldn’t form on your gutters, so if you notice them, it might be time for a new gutter system.
Sagging
If your gutters are uneven or sagging, it could be a sign they’re outdated. Gutters that sag won’t get the job done so if you noticed spots that dip lower than the rest, it’s time to think about replacing them.
Pooling Water
You don’t want water pooling too close to your home and its foundation. Standing water can lead to mold and rot and very expensive problems. If this is happening, you might just need a gutter extension to move the water further from your house, or you might need new gutters.
A Leak
A leak inside your home doesn’t always mean you have a leak in your roof–it could mean a leak in one of your gutters. Before you head to the roof, check your gutters for cracks, detachments, or other issues.
Read more: What to do immediately when you have a roof leak
Signs Your Gutter System is the Wrong Size
Clogs
If your gutters are too small for your home, they’ll start to get clogged with leaves, twigs, and debris. Clogs are an issue because they misdirect the water runoff causing it to spill over the sides and closer to your home’s foundation, which we’ve already mentioned can cause major problems.
Overflow
If your gutter is too small to support the amount of rainfall you’re getting, it will overflow.
What’s the Right Size?
Gutter size typically refers to the width of the gutter’s surface. To figure out the right size, it’s helpful to know the average rainfall in your area. Then, you need to determine the pitch and size of your roof. These two factors together determine the right size gutter system for your house.
The most common size gutters, Five-inch K-style gutters or 6-inch half-rounds, can handle most rainfall in most parts of the country. This is where the size of your roof comes in. If you have a large, steep roof, you may need extra-wide gutters.
Not sure what’s wrong your gutter system and want someone to take a look?
If you think either of these common gutter issues could be a cause for concern for your home, don’t hesitate to call us for an inspection.
Read more: What Happens During a Roof Inspection
About Weather Vane Roofing
We provide roofing, siding, insulation, windows and gutters. Making your house beautiful and efficient is our main goal. We use the latest in technology and products to provide eco-friendly and cost effective solutions for your home and business. With locations in Lansing, Owosso, and Brighton/Howell we are Mid-Michigan’s roofing experts. Let us transform your house into a home.
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