Attention: Common Downspout Problems

When it rains, especially when it rains a lot, one thing is for certain at one point or another, all that rain and moisture can cause great damage to your home, in terms of rot, erosion, mold and mildew issues. But, that’s when the guttering system comes to the fore.

As one of the most important systems in a house, it is designed to prevent any water damage and flooding. Gutters will collect the accumulated rainwater from your house’s roof and direct it away from your house. And, that’s when downspouts play a critical role: connected to gutters, they are the channels that direct the rainwater safely to a drainage area.

What Is the Importance of Properly Functioning Downspouts?

• Longer roof lifespan: When rainwater will overflow your gutters, it will also seep under the shingles and cause damage to the fascia and soffit of your roof. With time, your roof will weaken, mold will accumulate and lead to further damage to both the interior and exterior of your house. But, when ABC Seamless Rain Gutters have properly installed your gutters and downspouts, your roof is 100 % protected.

• Protect Your Home’s Foundation: Nowadays, most foundations are made up of concrete and are wrapped in waterproofing material that can prevent the absorption of moisture. But, when a high amount of moisture infiltrates the barrier, cracks start to appear, thus depicting possible signs of great damage to the foundation.

• Flooded Basement: I don’t think I need to tell you what can happen when there is too much water near the basement.

But, similar to gutters, nothing can prevent downspouts from encountering a list of problems. So, let’s take a comprehensive look at some of these issues.

Common Downspout Problems

Clogged Downspouts

Just like clogged gutters, clogged downspouts are a common issue many homeowners encounter. And, where do these obstructions come from?

Just like how accumulated detritus can block kitchen drains, similarly, all it takes is an object – a twig, leaf or a clump of animal hair, stuck in a joint – or small amounts of debris that accumulate until a noticeable congestion is formed.

Left ignored, clogged downspouts can cause the water on your roof to overflow onto your exterior and into your basement.

If you want to avoid such problems, look out for these signs that indicate clogged downspouts:

• Overflowing Water in the Gutters: Not an always genuine indication. Nevertheless, if your gutters are clean but still overflowing, your downspouts might be the problem.
• Leaking Seams: A “weeping” seam might indicate clogs in the downspout.
• Weak Runoff: If you hear a weird sound when you tap the downspout, it means a bottleneck is on its way.

The Insufficient Size of Downspouts

The pipes that are supposed to divert water away from the house cannot be too small or too short. In order to prevent water from seeping into the basement or foundation of the house, larger downspouts are strongly recommended as they can handle the water rushing down from the gutters.

Bigger downspouts mean better ones for another good reason: they will not be easily blocked by debris or leaves.

Only a skilled gutter contractor can come up with a properly designed gutter system and during the design stage, the following factors are considered in the calculation of the right gutter size:

• Roofing Square Footage
• Roof Pitch Factor
• Maximum Rainfall Intensity

Frozen Downspouts

During winter, you may often hear forecasters talk about ice accumulations and wonder, “How much slippery the roads will be today?”

But, did you know that these nightmarish coatings of ice can also affect downspouts?

It happens when the mouth of the downspout is blocked by heavy snowfall or when the super-cold standing water freezes.

Which one is it: a clogged or broken downspout? Whatever your problem, professionals at ABC Seamless Rain Gutters can handle your gutter and downspout repair.