10/11/2021
Are gutters really important?
One of the most controversial questions asked by home owners and builders alike is, are gutters really important? After all, they are prone to clogging, attract nesting birds, they can eventually pull away from your roof or tilt. Some roofers even advise against them. I can even say at the start of my building career I was skeptical and sometimes even critical of gutters. I looked at them as a waste of money. Until I started learning the facts and soon realized just how important they are to building a quality home. But don't just take my word for it. Let me share a few interesting facts with you so you can come to your own conclusion.
● Here in Columbia MO the average home has a roof size of 1,800 square feet.
● Every square foot of roof space collects . 6 gallons of water for 1 inch of rainfall.
● In Columbia we received 44.7 inches of rainfall in 2020.
So let's do the math together. So we will take 1,800 square feet and multiply it by our .6 which comes out to 1,080 gallons of water. That much water is being dumped around your foundation for every 1 inch of rain.
Now let's figure it one step further and multiply our 1,080 gallons by the yearly total of 44.7 inches which equals a whopping 48,276 gallons of water being dumped around your foundation! To put that into perspective here is a picture to help visualize just how much water that really is.
Now that's a lot of water! Regardless if you have a crawl space, slab, or basement that water is one of the biggest threats to concrete foundations. Your home’s gutter system is designed to minimize the amount of water that gets into the ground near your foundation.
The soil around your home is affected by weather conditions. It can react in different ways to changes in temperature and moisture content. Some types of soil are particularly sensitive to these shifts. For instance clay soils often have a negative impact on foundations.
If the soil beneath it changes in volume, shifts or washes away due to excessive water the concrete slab could lose its support. A heavy load on a part of the foundation that no longer rests on solid ground could cause cracks to appear.
Water can saturate and even seep through your foundation
The laws of physics dictate that water always takes the path of least resistance. When it collects near your foundation, the easiest path may prove to be directly into your basement, causing water infiltration, moisture, and potentially mold.
Also if excessive amounts of water saturate the foundation of your home, the excess weight will put pressure on the walls of your basement, which could cause them to move, bow or crack.
There are even more reasons why gutters are an important part of protecting your biggest investment; your home. We will cover those in another post. So in closing your home is only as strong as its foundation, and the best way to protect your foundation is by having professionally installed and maintained gutters.
If you would like a free over the phone estimate please give us a call today.
