Your gutters operate as the primary water collection system for your home. While these hollow metal half-pipes only reach a certain distance and width, they prevent rainwater from collecting at your roof and seeping into your walls. Yet where does this water go once your gutters collect water near your roof? Here’s the importance of properly functioning downspouts.
Keep Water Away From the Foundation
Your home is weatherproof, but only up to a certain point. While your ceiling may not leak and your windows might not let in drafts, other parts of your house structure may have issues. One such area that you can’t see is your foundation. And damage to your foundation is a terrible problem to have.
Downspouts carry water away from your home’s structure underneath the soil. If you leave the water to collect where your home meets the ground, it’ll seep into the concrete and wood foundation, where unwanted moisture will wear the structure down. If enough water builds there, it could spell trouble for your home’s safety and stability.
Avoid Damp, Flooded Basements
Depending on your home’s style and location, you’ll likely have a basement floor of concrete. Although this surface is dense and relatively nonporous, your basement walls, windows, and doors don’t share these qualities. If you don’t have functioning downspouts, water will build up at your basement entry points until flooding begins.
Prevent Unsightly Yard Erosion
Your water drainage system doesn’t just preserve your home’s structural integrity; it also prevents unsightly yard erosion. Depending on the slope of your property and landscaping in your yard, you could have natural pockets and indentations that collect water. When your downspouts don’t carry excess water away from these areas, more water will pool in them, killing the grass and eroding the soil underneath.
Knowing the importance of properly functioning downspouts will keep your house in tip-top shape. If you want to avoid structural and landscaping problems, reach out to our team at Gutter Maid today. We can help you fix your downspouts and implement other drainage solutions with our gutter installation services.