Gutter System Upgrades That Help The Gutters Protect Your Home From Water Damage
Posted on: 7 December 2021
When you're planning a gutter installation project, the first step is to decide on the type of gutters you want. A popular choice is seamless gutters that are made from aluminum or galvanized steel. These reduce the risk of gutter leaks, so they're usually worth the extra cost. Besides seamless gutters, here are two other upgrades to your gutters that enhance the way your gutters protect your home.
1. Trough Covers That Keep Your Gutters Clean
Trough covers are an optional item you can have put on during the gutter installation process. These go on last after the troughs are hung. They fit over or in the gutter troughs and block leaves and other debris so your gutters don't fill up and get clogged. These are especially useful if your home has multiple levels and the gutters are too far off of the ground to clean regularly.
By keeping debris out of the troughs, you can prevent problems with dams that cause water to flow under your roof or spill over the side and harm the foundation of your house. Plus, with fewer leaves in the troughs, there will be fewer leaves going down the spout and causing clogs that interfere with the proper drainage of rain.
2. A Downspout Drain That Moves Water Away
Gutter installations include a downspout. A typical installation includes a downspout that empties near the house. The end of the spout points away from the home and empties on a small splash pad. When the spout drains so close to your house, there is a potential threat of water rolling back toward your foundation instead of rolling away. This could cause foundation damage or a wet basement.
A solution for this problem is to empty the downspout in a drain that's buried under the ground. You can bury the drain in a trench so the drain goes all the way to the street and empties far away from your house. This makes for extra work during the gutter installation process since a trench has to be dug for the drain, but the extra cost could be worth it if you want to ensure the gutters empty far enough from your home that the rain won't cause water damage to your basement or foundation.
When you install seamless gutters with covers and bury the downspout drain, your home will have a little more protection against rain getting close to your foundation or roof. However, other aspects of a gutter installation are important too, such as sloping the troughs and sealing seams where the gutters go around corners or attach to the downspout.
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