The upkeep of your home is extremely crucial if you want to be able to keep the value of the home, the safety, and if you want to keep yourself and your family healthy. There are a lot of things that should be regularly maintained in the home, and when you do that, you will be saving yourself a lot of money in the long run. Many homeowners make the mistake of waiting for things to break before they replace or upgrade them, and they end up spending tens of thousands of dollars on something that could’ve been fixed with a fraction of that amount. We know that we have to fix and replace things that we constantly see in front of us, but sometimes we forget about the vital things that we don’t pay that much attention to. The rain gutters are one of the things that keep our home safe, but we tend to forget about them since we don’t constantly look at them.
If you are a homeowner, and if you want to do everything you can to preserve the beauty of your home, as well as keep your family safe, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we are going to talk to you about some of the reasons why you should upgrade your rain gutters. We will give you more information on why you should do that, how, and what will most likely happen if you tend to ignore this system until it breaks or gets damaged.
1. Reduce clogging
The first reason why you should upgrade the downspouts is so that you can reduce the clogging. It is said that you should check your gutters for leaves at least once every season, but you should also pay attention to them after every storm. This task can be difficult and time-consuming, but if you don’t do that, you risk the drains getting clogged.
A clogged gutter can lead to many different issues, and the first thing it will do is damage the downspout itself, and later on, the roof, walls, and even the interior of the house. When you upgrade this system, you will be able to reduce the clogging, the leaves, dirt, and debris will fall down it with ease, and with that, you won’t have to deal with checking and cleaning them as often.
2. Prevent flooding
Now let’s talk about something that is bound to happen if you don’t update and clean the drain. If you ignore the leaves and fallen debris, the gutter will stop its main function – to let rainwater down the drain. The water will stay there, and in time, it will start looking for other places to leak down the house.
It is said that one of the most common causes of flooding in the basement, and the interior of the home is clogged drains. The water will leak down the walls and it will go into the basement. The scary thing about this is that you won’t notice it until it is too late. This water will also lead to foundation damages and rotting on the inside of the home. If you want to find out how to prevent all these things, you need to view more about not only the dangers that come with clogged drains, but also how to clean them properly.
3. Prevent mold
If the drain is not updated, and if there are holes and damages that lead to leaking, the wooden parts of your home will start to rot. However, even if there are no leaks into the drain, the leaves and branches that are constantly flooded will start to rot and get moldy.
This mold will first damage your roof, and soon after, it will get into the walls of your home. You may be able to notice wet spots on the ceiling and the walls, but in many cases, you won’t notice the mold until it is too late.
Experts suggest that mold is extremely dangerous to your health, and it will also additionally damage the house. If you notice that you are having constant headaches; if you can feel a musky smell, and if you start exhibiting allergy-like symptoms, maybe you should check if there is mold inside your home.
4. Prevent pests
A clogged drain is the best place for pests to appear, and there can also be small or even larger animals that will try to get into your home. It may start with small insects, and in time, those insects will find their way into your house, and you will have to deal with infestations as well.
When the downspout is not upgraded, the water will stay there, and as you already know, standing water is the number one place where mosquitoes and other insects appear. Even if they don’t get into your home, you will not be able to enjoy your garden or spend some time playing outside with your kids, without getting those nasty bites.
5. Increase the value of the house
The last thing we are going to talk about is the value of your home. We all want to keep the same value of the home as we first bought it, and we all hope that if a day comes where we want to sell it, we will be able to get profits from it.
Increasing the value of the home is not something you can do in one day, and you need to constantly upkeep it, and take care of things that could decrease the value. If you don’t keep an eye on the downspout, your roof will get damaged, the walls will get moldy, and the basement may flood. These things, even though can be repaired, will cost you a lot of money. So, instead of making profits, you will be trying to patch things up just to be able to make a sale.
The gutters are not something we notice every day, but they are there to protect us and our property. If you want to upgrade them, it is better to do it in the summer when there are little to no rains, and it is always better to consult with a professional service than to risk making mistakes on your own.