Are Gutters Actually Important For a Home?

If you've asked yourself whether or not gutters are mandatory for your home, you're not alone. There are a lot of common issues attached to gutters. Nesting birds usually find them attractive. They have a tendency to get all clogged up. Despite being made to take water, their capacity is limited. Most of all, they come with the likelihood of pulling away from your tilt or roof at some point.

What Is a Gutter?

The basics are simple: a gutter is meant to redirect water elsewhere. Erosion is lowered considerably when water is guided towards either a predetermined safe area or a drain. As previously mentioned, their capacity is limited. There is a high likelihood that they will overflow, but they still get the job done. Plenty of water can be redirected by gutters.

Out of all the gutters out there, rain gutters are easily the most debated about. If you have a sloping roof, the law doesn't mandate them. In fact, a lot of modern homes just skip them altogether, even if they're helpful.

Affixed to the roof, rain gutters are usually made of plastic, aluminum, or copper.

How Does a Gutter Work?

Gutters catch rainwater as it goes down your roof's sides. The water then passes through downspouts and is led away from your home. Sometimes, a downspout empties towards a barrel or tank. That water then ends up being used during dry weather for gardening purposes. Your grounds are then less likely to erode, keeping your foundation well-situated. Basement flooding will not be an issue either. 

Read on to learn more about why and how gutters are important for a home to have:

• Gutters Can Help Homes in Upward Sloping Landscapes 
  
  If there's a home that's at least on a certain side of a slope, the foundation could end up with standing water. That's a result of water pooling above ground and below it. Having gutters in that area redirects water towards the downward slopes instead.
  
  
• Gutters Can Help Prevent Red Clay Foundation Issues
  
  When the ground is considerably rich in clay, it can be hard to work with. The moment a foundation of that nature has water, clay will keep bringing water to the same spot. A ground-based gutter line coupled with gutters with a drainpipe, water can be redirected safely.
  
  
• Gutters Can Help When There’s Little Overhang or None at All
  
  In some cases, roofs are made to fit rather close to the home proper. When the ground absorbs rainwater, it doesn't go far from the foundation at all. In those cases, water ends up pouring rather close to the foundation. Water will form considerably to the point of trenches developing. Left unchecked or not redirected with a gutter, that can mean strong streams of water by doorways during the storm.

Gutter Perform a Vital Roof in Protecting Your Home

Gutters are incredibly helpful, albeit their tendency to clog and attract nesting birds, among other things. It's helpful for redirecting the likes of rainwater elsewhere. Gutters are important for homes because they can help prevent red clay foundation issues, help homes in upward sloping landscapes, and help with roofing with little overhang or none at all.