One of the most important yet commonly neglected fixtures on your roof are the gutters and downspouts. Some may question the importance of gutters and downspouts, as well as their maintenance, but HomePro Inspections wants you to know there’s a reason why you should have them on your home. These essential items are critical for managing rain runoff from your roof and keeping your basement dry. Our home inspectors, as part of a home inspection, evaluate the condition and function of the gutters and discharge chutes.
Gutters and downspouts at the roof edge
That’s a lot of water!
Did you know that on 1,000 square feet of surface area, one inch of rainfall creates 623 gallons of water? Imagine you have a 32-foot x 34-foot home with a 2-foot eave all around. That’s 1,368 square feet of surface area, and that’s not even considering the pitch of the roof. When a heavy rain drops two inches of rainfall on this roof, that equals about 1,700 gallons of water running off the edge! That’s a lot of water, and it has to go someplace, but where?
Get that water away from my foundation!
The purpose of gutters, downspouts, and discharge chutes is to collect the water that runs off the roof and divert it away from the foundation. If the water is allowed to run off the roof and saturate the soil next to the foundation, it can lead to a wet basement. An even worse situation is when there are no gutters, downspouts, and discharge chutes, and the ground around the home slopes towards, rather than away from, the foundation. That’s why, except for extremely rare situations, gutters and downspouts are absolutely necessary.
The photo shows wetness in a basement where the discharge chute had been removed and was lying in the shrubs. The downspout was dumping water right at the foundation’s corner.
A case in point.
At a recent home inspection, one of our home inspectors noted that the gutters at the rear had some damage and were prone to leakage. In addition, the discharge chute was not extended far enough away from the foundation, and the soil sloped back towards the foundation. Furthermore, the runoff from the driveway was routed around to the rear of the foundation. In the inspection report, the home inspector documented all of this as needing correction.
In the basement, it was noted that there were a couple of areas at the rear of the basement where the carpet and sheetrock were wet. The home inspector also documented this as needing repair and noted they may need to have a basement waterproofing company install a water mitigation system.
We recommended that they first correct the issues with the gutters and soil slope and then make sure that any water coming from the roof was flowing away from the home.
Maintain your home’s gutter system.
Keep your gutters clean and discharge chutes in place. If you fail to maintain your system, you’re asking for trouble. Gutters that let water run over the edge are just as harmful as having no gutters at all. Gutters plugged with water and debris are heavy, and that extra weight can pull gutters loose and even cause them to separate and fall from the house entirely.
Keeping gutters and downspouts clean can be achieved by physically removing the debris yourself or paying someone to clean them for you. For me, the height and pitch of the roof play a big part in whether I would tackle the project myself. You can also install a system that prevents the accumulation of leaves, twigs, and other debris in your gutter system. There are plenty of DIY and professional installations available.
Conclusion
Having proper gutters, downspouts, and discharge chutes in place is your number one defense against a wet basement. Keep them clean and properly maintained, and they’ll do their job every time it rains. Remember, a one-inch rainfall equals 623 gallons per 1,000 square feet.
Visit our website to learn more or to schedule your home inspection in the Rochester, Owatonna, and Faribault, MN areas. Contact HomePro Inspections today at (507) 202-8942, send us an email, or use our online “Schedule Now” feature to schedule an appointment.