When you think of water damage to your home, you may envision a wild river of water streaming out of a burst pipe with furniture floating past you in the hallway. While the average instance of water damage may not be quite that dramatic, the damage to your property isn’t less devastating.
Preventing water damage involves a series of routine maintenance tasks that don’t only involve keeping a firm eye on the plumbing. Many homeowners rely on annual gutter repairs Melbourne residents add to their maintenance checks. How much damage can leaking gutters cause? Surely nothing more than a mess, right? Wrong.
A Small Leak Can Equal a Huge Problem
Since gutters are situated outside the home, you may think that any damage a leaky or faulty gutter can cause will be contained outside. However, there are several ways that not repairing a broken gutter can lead to damage both inside and outside your home. Let’s take a look at the most significant concerns you should be aware of.
1. Foundation Problems
Your home’s gutters take quite a pounding in times of heavy rainfall. At full function, your gutter system is supposed to create a safe and empty path for water and leaves to flow off the roof and away from the exterior of your home. A gutter that’s even slightly blocked will do the exact opposite.
Blocked gutters cause water to spill over the sides and pour against the walls. This in turn creates pools of water to form around the foundation. If there’s more rain than the ground can absorb in a single day, this excess water can lead to erosion which eventually causes the foundation to crack.
It’s important to note that even minor issues with the foundation can lead to structural problems. Not only is this costly to repair, but in many instances, this type of damage isn’t covered by your insurance. You will then have to carry the full expense of such a repair.
2. Wall and Ceiling Damage
Excess water in the gutters can also result in damage to the inside of your roof. When the gutters are full, water can easily flow into the wooden fascia boards inside your roof that your gutters are attached to. When these wooden boards start rotting due to excessive moisture, they push water into the roof area of your home.
Once water or moisture gets into the roof area, you’re looking at damage to the insulation, ceiling boards and even wiring that may be in your roof. This may ultimately result in you having to replace large sections of insulation, wood, ceiling boards and other damaged components in your roof.
3. Issues in the Basement
While your basement may seem a long distance away from the water pooling up in your gutters, water pouring down the wall and foundation can cause dampness in the basement. In addition to structural damage, water in the basement can damage any items that you may be storing there. It’s a good idea to check your basement after heavy rainfall for signs of moisture.
4. Interior Wall Damage
Pooled water in the gutters can also lead to roof leaks. Once water starts leaking on the inside of your home it forms the perfect breeding ground for bacteria, mould and mildew. These are clearly identified by large brown spots, peeling paints or smaller black mould spores. This is extremely costly to repair and can lead to respiratory issues if the moisture and mould spores aren’t dealt with.
Typical Signs That Your Gutters May Be Leaking
You won’t have to wait for severe damage to be done to realize that your gutters are leaking or clogged. Here are a few tell-tale signs to look out for:
- You regularly notice water spilling over the edges of your gutters, even after a heavy downpour has subsided.
- Birds seem to be spending a lot more time on your roof. This is because they tend to make nests in blocked gutters.
- Gutters are sagging in some places as a result of the weight of the water, sand, leaves and even pine needles.
- Water stains on the side of your house that don’t disappear when the walls have dried after a storm.
- Weeds and other plants are growing in your gutters. This only happens if seeds have dirt or leaves to germinate in.
- Your home smells mouldy after a storm indicating water is spilling in through the fascia boards.
- You haven’t cleaned your gutters in longer than you can remember and there has been an excessive amount of rain this season.
Final Thoughts
Neglecting a few broken gutters can do severe damage to other parts of your home. Fortunately, avoiding this is as simple as performing routine checks on your gutters. Clean them out at least once every season and have damaged gutters repaired or replaced as soon as possible. You’ll not only be keeping water from pooling in the gutters, but you’ll also keep the rest of your home safe and dry!
