The best gutter system in the world can’t protect your home from water damage without the help of its downspouts. Downspouts are the components that channel the water from your gutters away from your home’s foundation. When downspouts do not work correctly, your home can become vulnerable to roof rot, landscape erosion, basement seepage and foundation damage.
Here’s how you can tell if your downspouts are doing their job.
Step 1.
Check to make sure you have at least one downspout for every 20-30 feet of gutter. Having enough downspouts ensures that water can adequately drain from your roof without overflowing your gutters. If you don’t have enough downspouts, heavy rain can overwhelm your gutters and run straight down the roof to your foundation.
Step 2.
Examine the pitch of your roof, as it naturally directs water to flow in specific directions. Gutters and downspouts should be installed to work in conjunction with the pitch of your roof, keeping water flowing downward and never pooling in troughs.
Step 3.
Determining where your downspouts discharge their water is vital. You never want rainwater to discharge onto flat areas or, or places where it will pool next to your house’s foundation. Downspouts should not be located near crawl spaces, basement windows or other vulnerable spots near your foundation either.
Step 4.
Inspect any paving stones, sidewalks and driveways that lie near your home’s foundation to ensure that they are adequately pitched to direct water away from your house.
Step 5.
Install downspout extensions anywhere water is not properly draining away from your home. These will help extend the discharge point to the recommended distance of at least four feet from your foundation.
Step 6.
If you are unable to alter the placement of a downspout, or if you have a particularly tricky situation, you can also connect a downspout to an underground pipe that then directs water further from your home.
Want to make sure your gutters are never obstructed by excess dirt and debris? Give us a call today or contact us online to learn more about how the patented Gutter Helmet protection system can help!
