In the past, gutters were only thought to be essentials for properties in places that received heavy rain and snowfall. Nowadays, however, property owners appreciate the essence of gutters on their property, and they are now used in all climatic locations. Even the slightest drop of precipitation from your roof might, after all, cause considerable damage to your siding and foundations when left unchecked.
Getting gutters installed on your property is nonetheless only the first step towards water damage protection. Metal roof repair contractors will also focus on the state and functioning of your gutters when addressing various issues on your roof. This is because gutters will affect your roof’s condition and functioning in several ways. Here are some of the effects that damaged gutters will often have on your roof.
Rotting Wood
Blocked and sagging gutters ordinarily cause the seepage of melted ice and rainwater into your roof’s eaves. Wet eaves, in turn, expose the timber used for your roof’s trusses to moisture and leads to their rotting. Chronic exposure to water will, over time, causes the crumbling of your roof as the trusses give way, and your roof’s foundation fails.
Failing Hardware
One of the common issues you are exposed to with non-functioning gutters is ice damming. Though common in places with heavy snowfall, it affects all areas with snow in varying degrees. Ice damming exposes your roofing shingles to moisture and cold temperatures for a prolonged period and will add excess weight to your roof. These will consequently damage your roofing shingles and cause the premature failure of the hardware used in roof installation. Failed roofing hardware increases the chances of your roof being blown away by strong winds and detaching of sections of the roof to expose the underlayment to environmental conditions.
Leaks
Few people will associate leaks in their roofs with damaged gutters. Even so, the continued exposure of your roofing underlayment and materials to water owing to clogged gutters will affect your roof’s integrity. With an increased rate of breakdown of the roofing material, holes will form in different sections of the roof. You thus will deal with leaks in multiple parts where water has eaten away at the roofing material.
Damaged Insulation
Moisture is one of the principal elements that damage roofing insulation. Clogged and sagging gutters lead to the infiltration of water under your eaves and into your insulation. Damp insulation will, with time, detach from its connection points. In so doing, the insulation causes hot and cold spots in your interiors and leads to wastage of heating and cooling energy. Moreover, in most cases, you will have to replace your entire insulation even when only a part of it is damaged.
Attributing the above forms of roof damage to your gutters can save you in costly and repeated roof repair expenses. The roofing contractor will only have to repair your gutters and routinely maintain them to avert the future damage of your roof. Gutter maintenance and repair will be far cheaper compared to the replacement of your entire roof that the above issues will over time necessitate.
