You know to expect flooding, and you know to call fire and water restoration Greenville, NC when it happens, but did you know that there’s one simple feature in your house that does the most to fight flooding at the source? Yes, I’m talking about your gutters!
Gutter maintenance is key to protecting your home’s foundation. When clean and properly set, gutters carry rainwater away from your foundation and literally funnel floods away from your house. Despite this, gutters tend to be the most overlooked of your home’s features.
Your first step should be to go outside and look at your gutters! They’re visible on the edge of your roof and should go all the way around your house without breaks; see if you can find the downspouts where the water is carried to the ground. (For an environmentally friendly bonus that can be especially useful if you’re a gardener, you can have your downspouts set up to funnel into collection tanks, and use the rain to water your garden!) If you have visibly broken or damaged gutters, have them repaired as soon as possible. Spots where damage has occurred to the gutters often already have underlying damage in the wood and mortar – call fire and water restoration Greenville, NC for an inspection.
Cleaning your gutters is necessary, but can be dangerous, so if you’re not comfortably climbing ladders and being on the edge of your roof, hire a professional service. They will also likely have specialized tools designed to get the most debris out of your gutters. While you or they are up there, though, check the downspouts to make sure they have wire screens over them and they are properly installed. Cleaning downspouts is significantly more difficult than cleaning gutters and often necessitates removing them, which can be costly.
After major weather events like storms or tornados, check to make sure your gutters are still there and haven’t suffered damage. Also check frequently for signs of corrosion.