3 Things to Look for As You Clean Out Your Gutters This Fall
Fall is finally here in North Texas, and that means you might need to clean out your home’s gutters. As you check out the gutters, keep an eye out for these three things that can harm your foundation (even during the cold months):
1. Is runoff flowing away from your home?
Your downspouts should connect to small angled pieces that direct water away from your house altogether. But because these spouts run nearly parallel to the ground, they might have shifted over the summer from people bumping into them, from the lawn mower, or even if the dirt under its concrete block shifted. Take a moment to reposition these pieces so they lead downhill and away from the edge of your foundation. The last thing you want is water pooling against the side of your house all winter long.
2. Are there any slices or cuts in the dirt?
Divots in the dirt mean that water is somehow skipping over the gutter system and hitting the soil near your foundation with a lot of force. This could be due to:
- Gaps in the gutters
- Clogs in your gutters that made water overflow
- Downspouts that only go halfway down the wall and let the water freefall
No matter what the cause is, find and fix the underlying problem so you don’t have to deal with erosion.
3. Are the gutters separating from the roof?
Over time, the nails that hold your gutters against the edges of your roof may rust or become loose. Without that tension, the gutters will stay to swing a bit away from your roof and leave a gap. Like the problem we discussed in the previous point, free-falling water cuts through dirt, and that’s a problem if it’s only a few inches away from your concrete slab.
Solving these problems the second you seem them is the best way to protect your foundation. But if you don’t know how long they’ve been there, call us in for a foundation inspection.