Gutters and foundations – two extremely important parts of a home that share the same function of keeping your home dry, yet they’re very different. While gutters immediately carry and drain meltwater and stormwater away from your home, a foundation is a barrier between the outside soil and your home’s interior that helps keep your home dry.
Believe it or not, these two components of your home work together to keep moisture and water out of your home. So what role do these two components play and how exactly do these two work together to keep your home dry? Keep reading to learn all about how gutters and foundations work together and how to ensure your home is kept dry.
What role do gutters play in keeping your home dry?
Gutters are crucial to keeping your home dry and free of moisture and leaks. When a gutter system works properly, it keeps your home dry by immediately carrying away meltwater and stormwater from your roof and draining it away from your home’s foundation.
Because a gutter system immediately removes falling water, it helps keep both your roof, attic space and foundation dry by draining water away from your home.
What role does a foundation play in keeping your home dry?
A home’s foundation separates the soil from the interior of your home. When a contractor builds, they first dig a huge hole in the ground which is where your foundation is built, so it sits directly on top of the soil.
A foundation keeps your home dry by creating a barrier between your home and the soil. Soil is constantly shrinking and contracting depending upon the weather and rainfall, and your home’s foundation is thick—about eight inches—to keep the soil and moisture out of your home.
How do gutters & foundations work together?
Gutters and foundations work together by ensuring water from the gutter doesn’t drain down and collect around the foundation and cause leaking in a home’s basement or on the first floor. How can foundation leaks happen? Overflowing gutters.
When a gutter is clogged and isn’t able to function properly, water will overflow and cause water to build up around the home including the foundation. This spilt water isn’t able to drain down a downspout because of clogs and has nowhere to go other than directly underneath the gutters by the foundation.
As we mentioned earlier, a foundation wall is about eight inches thick and is supported underneath by a footer (a 16×8” cement block) and your home’s floor of the basement rests directly on top of that. A footer drain is located on the outside of the house and functions to catch falling water. Here in The Heartland, we have clay soil that essentially creates a clay pot around your home. When gutters are clogged, the water spills over the gutter and makes its way into a foundation wall and ultimately into your home.
How can I ensure my gutters and foundation are working properly?
We get this question a lot here at K-Guard. Our solution is that we take a look at your entire home, not just the gutters on the top of your home but the foundation as well to see how they’re working together. We offer free inspections for homeowners who believe they may have clogged gutters or leaking foundations caused by faulty gutters.
Of course, our K-Guard Gutter Systems come with a lifetime leaf-free warranty. They’re completely engineered, fully integrated, and seamless and protect your home from pesky falling leaves and debris and prevent clogs from happening and they ultimately protect your home from water damage. “Traditional” gutter systems often become clogged and result in water collecting around a home’s foundation, driveaway and fascia. No other gutter protection system can offer the strength, durability, capacity, and attractiveness of K-Guard.
To schedule your free estimate, request an appointment today. We look forward to helping keep your home dry!
