Your home’s gutters play an important role in protecting your home from rainwater. Water needs to be directed away from your home to avoid pooling that can damage your home’s foundation. Your foundation is the base of your home and very vulnerable to water penetration due to its location. When it rains, water should drain down and away from your home, or your foundation can become eroded and collect moisture. As a result, your basement can leak and even more serious issues can eventually affect your entire home’s structure.
Here’s how gutters protect your home’s foundation from damage.
What are Gutters?
Gutters are part of your roof system. Their job is to direct water away from your foundation. As water collects from the roof, the gutters take the water through the channels which then lead down to the ground and away from your foundation. Without gutters, the water has no other choice than to trickle down the walls directly to the foundation. As the water collects it has nowhere to go which can lead to pooling.
How Does Water Damage a Home’s Foundation?
There are three main ways water damages your home’s foundation:
1. Hydrostatic Pressure:
Over time, water pooling around your foundation can cause it to crack and bow, allowing water infiltration. As damage progresses it can be severe enough to cause flooding. However, even the slowest leaks can cause serious damage to your home’s structure over time.
2. Expansive Soils:
Expansive soils absorb water and expand as the water volume increases. This places force on the foundation which not only cracks the walls of your home but also the floor. During dry spells, the opposite happens, and the soil shrinks, creating continuous pressure and relaxation that puts stress on the home. When water continues to pool over time, the damage gets worse.
3. Erosion:
Rainwater can wash away the soil supporting your home’s foundation. As a result, the foundation settles causing different issues throughout the home. This impacts your doors, floors, windows, and chimneys as well as drywall inside the home.
As you can see, your house is vulnerable to serious damage without properly functioning gutters.
Signs of Foundation Damage
Other than cracks along your foundation, signs of foundation eventually affect the interior of your home. This can result in the following serious issues:
- Wall and floor condensation
- Leaks
- Increased indoor humidity
- Uneven floors
- Bowed walls
- Doors and windows that can’t shut
- Gaps between the ceiling and wall
- The musty smell of mold or mildew
- Floor and wall discoloration
- Condensation on the walls or floor
- Obvious water leaks
These are the eventual results of severe structural damage related to your foundation when your gutters are not in good working order.
Properly functioning gutters are the best way to avoid costly damage to your foundation. Whether your home requires gutters or your gutters are leaking, Smart Exteriors can evaluate the situation and make recommendations to resolve water pooling issues. Speak to our team today.
