You may want to check your clogged gutters before they cause problems! Here's why!
Photos by: Freepik
a clogged gutter leads to basement flooding and the destruction of the foundation? Absolutely. Nobody with a basement wants to go down the stairs one day and find the lower level floating in a foot or two of water, but that can easily happen with clogged gutters. How? What on earth would cause gutters on the roof and on the side of the house to interfere with the basement under a house? The problem has to do with water buildup, which can easily happen if the gutters are clogged and it rains heavily. Even a basement sump pump won't be enough to compensate for the influx of rainwater from a strong storm that lasts all night, and if the power goes out, good luck.
Water can be incredibly harmful in a short amount of time
When a gutter becomes clogged, it begins to act like a container holding more and more water as the drainage from the roof builds up. Water generally weighs around 8 pounds. per gallon, which can rise and pressure quickly. Heavy rains drop an enormous amount of water during their duration, and a house roof absorbs a lot of it. Water is not compressed so the force of gravity that occurs increases with every gallon added to the build. At some point, all of the water will either break through the gutter and fall over the drainage socket below, or it will run down the gutter itself and rain on the side of the house. Both will quickly saturate the immediate soil and begin to seep through the basement walls into the basement itself. Cement is porous and water flows through it overnight. The immediately draining water never reaches the street gully, as the ground allows it to seep away more quickly.
Gutters in poor condition can also be a big problem. Normally with horizontal and level gutters, the water flows from the roof, through them to the sides and then flows down the downpipes to the ground. However, if a gutter sags in the middle, it creates extra weight and holds back the runoff water. When the sagging section of the channel gives way or overflows, the water flows back into the immediate, nearby floor and finally through the basement wall of the house.
Falling water also causes instant damage and other problems, especially when a house has more than one story. If the water falling from a roof lands on the ground as opposed to a gutter, a deep trench will be created within minutes. Since this trench has nowhere to overflow, the trench catches the runoff and any other water that comes down and soaks down. That too will seep into the basement outside next to the ditch at some point. Heavy flooding of the immediate ground can also lead to problems for houses with seepage water fields and lead to the corresponding sewage systems being backed up. That too can retreat into the basement, since it is the lowest center of gravity in a house.
One ounce of prevention with a stain-resistant design
However, all of the above problems can be avoided with a little bit of prevention and the installation of a leaf-free K-Guard gutter system. The design of this product is specifically designed to prevent clogged gutters. This means the water will continue to flow smoothly and without dirt through the gutter system, right down to the floor and down to normal drains and gutters away from the house. Given the costs it can cost to drain water from a basement and then restore it to sanitary conditions, including mold control and water damage, using K-Guard Leaf Free gutter system packages makes a lot of sense.
