If you’ve recently been up a ladder doing that gutter cleaning chore, you might be wondering if you really need them at all. But gutters do play an important role in maintaining the structural integrity of your home. When well-maintained, a good gutter system is a homeowner’s major line of defense against serious water damage.
Often people purchase larger capacity residential gutter systems because they “hold” more water. This misconception aptly demonstrates how the purpose of gutters is commonly misunderstood. A gutter system is designed to channel, not contain, water from one place (the roof) to another (the ground via the downspout) and then drain it somewhere a safe distance from the foundation of your house.
Undirected water falling from the roof to the ground can literally go anywhere. Reasons gutters are important include, they:
- prevent water from pooling too close to the foundation, causing it to sink, crack or shift
- keep rainwater from landing on someone’s roof or property
- stop standing water from becoming a breeding ground for insects
- protect landscaping from being washed away
You might be tempted to do away with your gutters, but a gutter system is still the most cost-effective way to manage rainwater.
