Your property is your most significant investment, and everyone understands that it takes a little bit of effort and time to keep that home safe, comfortable, and in excellent condition. Cleaning your gutters is a job that many people overlook or forget, but it is a critical one that requires little time, effort, or money. To avoid water damage and necessary cleanup to your property, you should clean your gutters every 6 to 12 months. Here is how blocked gutters could end up causing unexpected water damage.

Your Roof Can Start to Leak

The purpose of installing a gutter is to keep rainwater from entering a specific area of your home’s exterior. If the downspouts become clogged, they will stop functioning. Instead, your roof will leak and seep through with water that has accumulated over there. Aside from that, water will soon start overflowing from the gutters, causing damage to the sheeting beneath the roof. These materials will begin to mold and deteriorate due to excessive water. Once this occurs, the water will continue to pass through your home’s ceiling, requiring water damage cleanup.

1. Damage Your Foundations

The most severe side effect of an overflowing gutter is structural damage. Excess water seeps into porous materials like concrete when your gutters overflow, causing fractures in the walls or ground. These hairline cracks will gradually grow into massive fractures, compromising the structural integrity of your home if left untreated. Fixing structural damage to a house is expensive since it frequently requires the replacement of large portions of the structure.

Basement Flooding

When water pools on your roof or sits in your gutters, it can quickly leak into your basement or even lower floor, which results in flooding. Basement floods are a huge problem that poses a safety risk and is one of the most expensive to fix. Water leaking into your basement could cause gas leaks or electrical shocks, which are two of the most dangerous threats.

Increased Chance of Ice Dams

Ice dams can form on your property in cold areas or during colder periods of the year, mainly on your gutters and lowest roof edges. Commonly this happens during the cold and wet periods when the rainwater or melted snow freezes due to the low temperatures. Because water cannot drain correctly when your gutters are clogged, more water will be present. This greatly increases the chance of ice dams developing, which could also cause water to pool and leak into your property when they melt.

Damage the Garden Below

A clogged gutter will overflow into the garden below instead of guiding water towards the drainpipe. This would result in an excessive volume of water falling on your plants during heavy rains, which could either drown them or crush them due to the pressure. Another danger is that the water will gradually erode your garden’s soil.

Water Damage Cleanup in Owasso

Water damage can cause serious disruptions in your life at any time. Not only does the thought of cleanup seem intimidating, but unchecked water damage can also pose health and safety risks. Our committed team of disaster relief experts understands the stressful nature of water damage, which is why our main goal is to relieve you of your situation quickly. When you find water damage due to clogged gutters, act immediately. For water damage cleanup in Owasso, call Oklahoma Disaster Restoration. We are available 24/7.