Home Maintenance Tip: Clean Your Gutters to Protect Your Foundation

You may be wondering what your gutters have to do with your foundation. Gutter function to direct rain water from the roof to downspouts that discharge the water away from the house foundation.

When gutters are full of leaves and other debris, rain water from the roof can’t enter the gutters. Instead, rain water running off the roof passes right over the gutter and splashes onto the ground near the house foundation.

Water that overflows gutter can lead to excessive moisture at the foundation causing problems such as:

• Deteriorating foundation mortar.
• Cracks in the foundation because the soil swells at and under the foundation.
• Fungal growth on building materials in crawl spaces and potentially their structural failure.

Protect your foundation and your investment by regularly cleaning your gutters. And remember, if you are a do-it-yourselfer, be careful on that ladder.

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For more information about foundations and foundation repairs, contact Atlantic Foundation and Repair  at 919-855-0855.