Gutter and downspout maintenance can make a significant impact on the longevity of your foundation materials. That’s because one of the worst culprits for basement leaks and other foundation damage comes from excessive water, something only made worse with clogged gutters. Thankfully, there are simple ways to address this problem and make sure you don’t have to spend a fortune on expensive repair work later.

The Importance of Gutter and Downspout Maintenance

There are many reasons you should clean your gutters. Here are just a few of the big ones:

• Avoid foundation damage such as cracks and leaks.
• Prevent water from entering your basement.
• Protect your roof from wear and tear.

While it’s an important upkeep task, it can be rather difficult for folks with larger homes. If the house is two or three stories high, you may have to hire a professional to clean out all the blockage. It might not seem like an obvious foundation concern, but allowing your gutters to clog allows runoff water to overwhelm certain areas. This can cause lots of cracks and lead to an expensive repair later down the road.

It’s very important to do this in the fall when leaves, pine needles, and debris can clog easily. If you have a gutter that’s dumping lots of water on one spot, you’re vulnerable to serious foundation issues like basement leaks. That’s why we prefer to bury all our systems in a four-inch drain-tile system to send everything under ground.

Other Design Issues with Gutter and Downspout Maintenance

You have to pay attention to gravity and the reality of where the water is going when installing or positioning gutters and drain systems. The downspouts, the last segment of your gutter system, should empty roughly 10 feet away from your house. This is the best way to avoid those huge pools of water around your home foundation.

The size of the gutters matter as well. While you don’t have to splurge and purchase five-inch gutters, it’s a lot more work to clean the smaller three-inch ones more often.

Even with clean gutters, you can run into trouble if they’re too small. The bigger ones can help you endure those especially heavy Kansas City rainstorms much better.

Soil Grading: Another Way to Protect Your Home from Excessive Water

If you’re looking for another way to thwart the onslaught of the rainy season, then consider some effective soil grading solutions. There are ways to fortify the soil around your house by creating a better slope. While you may “DIY” this to a certain extent, we recommend getting a professional to do it properly.

The good news is that it’s not super expensive in terms of materials. Some homeowners improve their home landscape, both in terms of aesthetics and foundation stability, by adding normal soil and mulch strategically. As always, if you aren’t sure how this works, you can ask one of our representatives for suggestions when you have us perform a free foundation inspection.

Call Olson Foundation Repair Anytime for Prompt Waterproofing Service

We’re Kansas City’s best contract company for drain-tile system installation (interior or exterior) and basement waterproofing. You can also count on us for other renovation services if your home suffers from cracks, collapsed walls, soil settlement, or any other foundation issues.

Olson Foundation Repair maintains an outstanding customer service record, which you can verify by reading all our positive customer reviews. We also have accreditation and good standing with the Better Business Bureau (BBB), and receive accolades as a “top company” for foundation repair, according to BloggerLocal.

If you have any questions about proper gutter or downspout maintenance, feel free to contact us anytime for more tips and suggestions.