Why We Need Rain Gutters

Rain gutters are small but critical components of a building s roofing system and a long term investment in the infrastructure of your home.

Why we need rain gutters.

Your rain gutter system is designed to move rain water away from these areas to protect your home. There aren t a lot of alternatives to gutters as even a good slope can be eroded over time by the water beating down. Gutter systems may not be needed in an arid climates and areas not subject to periods of heavy rains. Without gutters rainwater soaks the soil.

Most water damage caused by rain will start around the roof structure fascia soffit and foundation. This is one of the reasons why you should have gutters installed professionally. The goal of gutters is to move rain water away from your home before any problems occur. Millions of feet of gutter are installed each year throughout the country yet there is very little information available to educate or guide consumers when they re installing or replacing gutters.

Gutters have a limited capacity and may overflow although they still effectively remove a large volume of water. Water tends to scatter everywhere if not funneled properly. They are designed specifically to reduce erosion by guiding water to a drain or safe area. Gutters are the horizontal metal usually aluminum part of the system that are usually installed along the eave edges of your roof or along roof features like dormers.

This causes your carefully sloped landscape to wear down allowing runoff to flow toward your home instead of away from it. We need such a system in order to help reduce water and moisture damage to our homes. Understanding rain gutters the basic function of a gutter is to provide a channel for redirecting water. Gutters act as a safe pathway for rainwater to flow away from the roof into the downspouts and to the downspout extension.

If rain flows off your roof because you have no gutters the water causes massive erosion washing away more and more soil each time it rains. In many parts of the country rain gutters are an absolute must and are integral in keeping water out of basements and preventing damage to homes. Your roof protects your home from the rain by shedding rainwater to the gutters. With the rain gutters the rain will just flow off your roof washing away soil each time it rains causing soil erosion.

Erosion also causes the foundation to settle.