Protecting Your Gutters From 4 Sources of Damage

Gutters are an essential element of your roofing system. Without gutters, the water from your roof could flow directly down to your home's foundation, causing erosion and water damage. However, gutters that aren't well-kept can cause their own problems as they become damaged from weather and other hazards. Here are some of the types of damage gutters can face and steps you can take to protect your gutters. 1. Ice and Snow Ice and snow can pose several different threats to a gutter. For instance, if enough snow falls on your roof, the snow could start melting from the heat in your attic, run down to your gutter, and form a solid block of ice. A gutter full of ice becomes very heavy and could collapse, work loose from its fasteners, or crack from the expansion of the ice. Of course, ice and snow can also cause an ice dam leak through this same method. Once ice builds up at the eaves of your roof, melted water will have nowhere to run and may find its way under your roof. So protecting your gutters and eaves against this blockage is particularly important. One way you can minimize this possibility is with good attic ventilation. You should also have your roofing contractor check your attic insulation, replacing any wet spots and closing up any gaps under the insulation that could let warm air through. 2. Falling Debris Just like your roof shingles, your gutters can also suffer damage from falling debris. Any trees that live near your home should be kept trimmed back for this reason. Since gutters stick out away from the edge of the house and are only supported in a few spots, they can be especially vulnerable to falling limbs. Protecting against debris is usually as easy as having someone trim any trees and other tall vegetation back from the building. Be sure to schedule this work regularly, since trees can often grow back quite quickly. 3. Flooding and Clogs Ice isn't the only thing that can clog a gutter. Bird nests, fallen leaves, moss growth, and similar materials can also clog the point between the gutter and the downspout. When this happens, water can't drain freely out of the gutter, and the gutter could flood. An overfull gutter that doesn't drain well can spill water onto your siding and cause water damage to your fascia board, and the gutters themselves may be damaged as well. For one thing, the brackets and fasteners holding the gutter up will be strained. They're not designed to hold that much weight. Additionally, the gutter itself may sag under the weight of the water and cause damage so that, even when the clog is cleared, the gutter won't be at the optimal angle for draining anymore. The side of the gutter could also bow out, allowing water to stream downward and causing permanent gutter damage. Cleaning gutters out on a regular basis can help to avoid clogs. 4. Pests In addition to birds' nests clogging your gutters, you may find that pests damage your gutters in other ways as well. For instance, bird droppings could result in corrosion if you have metal gutters. And heavy nests can weigh down the gutter until it warps out of shape. Gutter guards may help keep pests out of your gutters. Discuss with your contractor which type of gutter guards will work best for the types of pests you have trouble with. These are some of the forces that can damage gutters. Proper gutter maintenance, maintaining your attic ventilation and insulation, using gutter guards, and keeping an eye out for pests can help you ensure that your gutters don't become damaged. For more information on the gutter system services, get in touch with Cal Roofing Systems Inc. today.