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Fall is swiftly approaching, (I know, crazy right? Wasn’t it just Spring?) and with the Fall season comes gutter trouble. Falling leaves and loose twigs get caught in your spouts, and Autumn storms will pull and bend at your gutters themselves. With this oncoming season, it’s a good time to review some of the common issues to watch out for and some of the things you can do about them.
Today we’re going to talk about what it means if you have standing water in your gutters. While some small amount of standing water can be normal, it should be no more than what would dry up after only a few hours in the sun. Anything more than a quarter of an inch of standing water in small spots can lead to algae growth and water damage. Standing water in gutters is a common symptom that can have multiple causes. Essentially it breaks down to two main possibilities with different variations between them.
The first possibility is that the “pitch” of your gutters is incorrect. This refers to the angle which the gutters sit along the roof of your house. Gutters should be installed with a slight slope along the edge of your roof leading to the downspout. This ensures that the water naturally will drain towards the spouts in a manageable manner. The pitch can change if the gutters themselves are bent or if the gutter screws holding them up have become loose or damaged in any way. Larger issues may stem from damage to your roof itself, causing the gutters to no longer attach properly. For larger issues, consider calling in a professional. At Cincy Gutter Boys we cover both gutters and roofing issues and are ideally suited to these kinds of problems. Smaller issues may stem from loose seams in your gutters, which may be as simple of a fix as using some gutter sealant.
Another category of gutter issues stem from blockages in your gutters or drains. During summer and fall, these may be caused by biological debris, such as leaves and small twigs. During the winter, ice can also cause blockages. Either way, blockages lead to larger issues, like foundation and water damage, so you want to address this quickly. There are a number of places where you gutter system can become clogged. As long as you don’t have box gutters, checking the gutters themselves won’t be too hard as long as you have a safe ladder of sufficient height.
After that, check the top drains for your spouts, which should have baskets or filters covering them, which may be holding the blockage at bay. If these have come loose or are missing, you’re looking at an increased chance that the blockage is in your downspout, which may take more work to clear. You can use a snake tool or a water hose to help clear this, but be careful to not cause damage by using too much force. Finally, if your downspouts connect to an underground drainage system, a blockage could also be a possibility there. This is not likely to be the cause of standing water in your gutters, instead leading to standing water on the ground close to your downspout connection.
Regardless of the cause, excessive standing water in your gutters should be addressed. Consider contacting the professionals at Cincy Gutter Boys to address your issue and ensure the good maintenance of your gutter systems. This will ensure the long term care of your home and avoid unsightly damage.