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You should always have downspouts and gutters installed on the exterior of your home. These are actually going to provide a great deal more protection than you might think for your house, but only if you're really careful about how they're installed and how you're using them. If you're not protecting your home properly then you could actually be in danger of some even more serious problems than you might think for your Sugar Land, TX home.

What Gutters Do

First, gutters are going to keep your home from being flooded. They're going to keep out some of the water damage that you might otherwise experience and that's going to be an important task on its own, don't you think? Your gutters go around the entire outside of your home and they make sure that water coming down is gathered in one location. Without those gutters the water would fall directly from the sky to the area immediately around your foundation and too much of that water would mean it seeps into the foundation.

Once water gets into your foundation it can start causing damage and wearing away at that foundation. Then, it can start to seep directly into the basement where you end up with flooding. All of that is going to be more of a problem for you in the long run, causing you a great deal of water damage and resulting in a whole lot of added cost. But if you have gutters they gather the water and push it toward the downspout. That downspout is then intended to direct the water away from the base of your house and toward a safer location.

How to Improve Your Gutters

One of the first things you need to do in order to improve your gutters is make sure that they are cleaned out. You need them to be cleared of dirt and debris that can otherwise gather if they're not cleaned regularly. Your local plumber could tell you more about how important those gutters really are and what you should be doing with them. Looking for leaves and other blockages throughout the downspouts as well is going to mean less water can build up in these gutters.

Make sure the gutters you do have are firmly attached to the side of your home as well. If your gutters get too full of debris before you clean them or if they start getting old they may start to break away from the side of your roof. When that happens there's a gap left in the middle between the roof and the gutter and water can easily drip down the side. That means you end up with water right where you don't want it, at the foundation of your home.

You need to have downspouts attached to your gutters as well, which is how you're going to keep the water from getting into the foundation. Downspouts direct the water from your roof down to the ground. If you have them installed properly the water should be brought to the ground and then directed away from your foundation and toward somewhere that's sloped away from your house. If you direct it toward a slope that goes toward your house it's actually just going to turn right around and cause you more problems again. Install additional pieces to your downspout to make sure the water gets far enough out from the foundation.

The Downside of Not Caring for Your Gutters

If you don't care for your gutters properly they can actually get blocked up with dirt, debris, leaves and any number of other things. When that happens you end up with water piling on top of the debris and unable to flow out the way it's supposed to. From there, the water pools and drips over the sides of the gutters and that means it ends up right where you don't want it, alongside your foundation. And that's going to be just like if you didn't have gutters at all. It's going to be a big mess and something you need a plumber for immediately.

Your local plumber will be able to tell you all about the different problems that can come up if you're not careful about your gutters and downspouts. A plumber can talk to you about all of the flooding problems and the ways that they can back right up into your basement. And that flooding can cause more damage inside your home and your foundation than even you know. That's because not all of the water that gets into your home is going to show up on your basement floor. Some of it is going to stay right there in the walls, which your plumber can tell you about.

Water that gets into your walls, even the block walls of your foundation, starts to wear away at everything. That water will start to destroy the foundation right from under your home and that means you're starting to lose some of the structural integrity that you're depending on to keep your family safe. As more and more water continues to seep into your foundation it could actually cause serious damage that destroys that foundation and destroys your home in the process. But luckily, there's a lot you can do to prevent that from happening if you work with a plumber.

If you are concerned about flooding or any sort of damage in your home from water make sure you're calling Benjamin Franklin Plumbing of Houston. Your Sugar Land, TX home is definitely our priority and we want to make sure you know what you should be doing to protect it. Our plumbers are available in your area to help you with anything that you might be experiencing or any problems that you might be having. If you need a plumber you can give us a call at any time and we'll make sure it's taken care of. After all, you need to have a plumber who can look at anything you're experiencing and improve it.