At first glance, the gutter system may not seem that important to your home’s overall well-being. However, you should pay close attention to the role of gutters in protecting roofs and foundations.
If your gutters aren’t in great shape, they could cause extensive damage to your home’s roof, foundation, or both. Consider making repairs to broken gutters or replacing them altogether to prevent potentially costly roof and foundation problems from popping up.
Discover how these essential home features protect your roof and foundation below to see what makes excellent gutter systems crucial for Pittsburgh homeowners.
How Your Home’s Gutters Protect Its Roof
The gutters on your home are key in removing rainwater from the roof and providing effective rainwater management. When it rains, rainwater will land on your roof and trickle down to your gutters before traveling through downspouts that will move it away from your home.
At least, this is what will happen when you have a gutter system that works like it’s supposed to. If you have broken gutters or gutters clogged with leaves and other debris, they might not provide proper water drainage.
In this case, gutters might cause rainwater to back up onto your roof, damaging your roofing shingles, fascia boards, and other parts. You might not even realize the damage rainwater does to your roofing material each time it rains until it’s too late.
In the wintertime, damaged or clogged gutters might also lead to ice dams forming and a lack of roof edge protection. They may put a huge strain on your roof and gutters and possibly damage them. Additionally, ice dams can become safety hazards if you let them linger.
How They Protect Your House’s Foundation
Gutters protect more than just your home’s roof; we can’t overstate their essential role in protecting roofs and foundations.
In addition to preventing rainwater from pooling on your roof, the gutters also take water and move it as far away from your home as possible. This prevents moisture from coming into contact with your foundation regularly and offers erosion prevention.
If you have broken or clogged gutters on your home, you might notice water pooling around the outside of your foundation every time it rains or snows in the wintertime. You can minimize the chances of this happening and ensure foundation stability by keeping your gutters free of debris and repairing or replacing damaged gutters.
Why You Need Fully Functioning Gutters Hanging on Your Pittsburgh Home
Anyone with a house should understand why their gutters are so essential, but it’s especially important for Pittsburgh homeowners to understand why they need functioning, clog-free gutters on their houses.
Pittsburgh has been receiving record amounts of precipitation in recent years. In 2019 and 2020, for example, the city recorded over 50 inches of precipitation in back-to-back years for the first time in history.
This alone illustrates the importance of fixing damaged gutters on your Pittsburgh home or installing new ones if your current ones need repair. They can help your home’s roof and foundation withstand the increased precipitation.
Call Us To Install New Gutters or Replace Existing Ones in Pittsburgh
Now that you understand the role of gutters in protecting roofs and foundations, give our team at Gotcha Covered Contracting a call if you have any concerns. We can set you up with the gutter installation and repair services you need to keep your roofing materials and foundation safe from falling or pooling rainwater.
Contact us at (724) 581-8147 today for all your gutter, roofing, and siding needs in Pittsburgh.
