The Connection Between Gutters And Your Foundation

With fall, comes falling leaves. With falling leaves, come clogged gutters.

To most homeowners, a clogged gutter is not a big deal. But to experts such as Basement Authority of West Virginia, gutters that work efficiently and effectively are the vital first step in protecting your home’s foundation and preventing water from entering your crawl space or basement.

The gutters (long channels at the edge of your roof) are designed to collect hundreds of gallons of water from your roof, deposit the water in downspouts then direct water away from your foundation walls. When gutters or downspouts become clogged, the water can spill out of the gutters and pool near the home’s foundation.

This pooling water can result in soil that becomes completely saturated, putting a tremendous amount of pressure on your foundation walls. This extra pressure can cause foundation walls to crack and even push inward. Over time, this pressure can even cause your basement walls to collapse! The water can erode soil under your footers, causing your foundation to settle and creating serious support issues for your home.

Those fall leaves can also clog french drains around the home, which are designed to take water from downspouts and direct it away from your home’s foundation. When french drains become clogged, hundreds of gallons of water coming from your roof during a heavy rain can actually be directed directly to your foundation walls! (This is why Basement Authority of West Virginia typically recommends a waterproofing system located inside the floor of the basement — instead of just installing more french drains — so that your waterproofing system can be maintained and provides a permanent solution to your water problems.)

Preventing most gutter problems is simply a matter of climbing a ladder and cleaning your gutters twice a year — if you’re handy enough to do this work. (If you have a lot of trees around your home, this may need to be done a few times a year. Various manufacturers also have products that keep leaves and things like pine needles from being deposited in gutters.) Homeowners should also ensure that soil slopes away from the home so that any standing water is moved away from the home and its foundation walls. Concrete structures such as sidewalks and driveways should be sloped away from your home to prevent water from being deposited on foundation walls. Lastly, homeowners should check to ensure that downspouts direct water a minimum of 10 feet from foundation walls.

A little preventive maintenance can save homeowners thousands of dollars in foundation repairs. Protecting your foundation begins with your roofline and the gutters/downspouts that direct water away from your home’s foundation.

For a free, no obligation inspection of your basement, crawl space, foundation or your sinking concrete, contact Basement Authority of West Virginia today.