Gutters and What Causes Them to Overflow

Your home’s gutters are a key component of the roof, responsible for keeping your entire home from sustaining water damage. When gutters start overflowing, the water can end up damaging the roof, siding and even the foundation of your home.

In this post, Rapid Roofing discusses what causes gutters to overflow and what you can do about it.

Debris

One of the reasons your gutters are clogging and overflowing is due to the presence of debris. Debris includes leaves, twigs and even the granules from your shingles. These can accumulate and block the drain where the water is supposed to go and cause the water coming from the roof to spill over. This is the easiest problem to address as all you really need to do is regularly clean the gutters.

Improper Position

The pitch and how the gutters are tilted can mean all the difference in terms of performance. If the gutters are tilting away from your house, that can cause an overflow as the water doesn’t actually end up in the gutter. 

Improperly positioned gutters are also more problematic when they accumulate debris. They can drag the edge of the roof, damaging it and loosening the shingles. This will eventually require emergency roof repair.

Sectional Gutters

Sectional gutters have a key flaw: they come in sections. As they age, the gaps and spaces between them become more prominent and will eventually start leaking on the walls and foundation of your home. While these are more affordable, the damage they can potentially do in the long run will cost you more.

You can avoid these problems by switching to seamless gutters. Unlike their sectional counterparts, they come in one piece, so they don’t form gaps where water can leak. They are also constructed so that they are flush to the wall. They will properly divert water away from your home.

Rapid Roofing offers seamless gutter installation. Call us today at (734) 234-5900 to learn more about our services. We install and replace gutters in Ann Arbor, MI.