Preventing Warped and Sagging Gutters, Rotten Fascia and Soffit
Nothing can deface the beauty of a well-built, well-landscaped property like sagging or severely warped gutters. It’s not just the aesthetic impact you need to worry about. Warped and sagging gutters allow water to leak into the interior of your home, and eat away at the wood and concrete that make up your home’s infrastructure.
Warping occurs from the constant expansion and contracting of the metal that your gutters are made of; aluminum, steel and vinyl being the most common. Gutters expand and contract as the weather turns exceedingly cold in winter and hot in summer. This perfectly normal reaction to the elements weaken your gutters over time as well as causing significant warping and damage.
To help slow the process of warping, manufacturers will protect gutters with non-corrosive coatings (aluminum gutters) and galvanization (steel gutters). However, no amount of protection will make gutters last forever. As a consumer and a homeowner, you can also help slow the process of warping by preventing gutters from clogging. When debris is allowed to build up and fester in your gutters, it turns into sludge-like substance that can eat away at the gutter’s coating, accelerating corrosion and warping. Another accelerator is inadequate gutter installation. Whether the screws are not flush with the gutter surface, or corner pieces, called elbows, aren’t fully sealed, sloppy installation can leave small crevices that serve as a catch point for debris, which will quickly turn into corrosive sludge.
Sagging is another killer for your home’s gutter system. Sagging can occur primarily from gutter hangers that are placed too far apart or gutter systems that are not installed with a steep enough pitch. In both cases, water pools up between downspouts, accelerating corrosion and increasing the likelihood that gutters will break away from the side of your home.
The Gutter Helmet® gutter protection system, filters out harmful debris, controls the flow of water from your roof and helps prevent damage from snow and ice. The Gutter Helmet® Perma-Life coating is specially formulated to not fade or chalk, is not effected by corrosive rain, and special additives prevent organic build-up. Gutters are expensive and critical to the long-term health of your home’s foundation and infrastructure. Gutter Helmet®‘s patented bracket reinforces your gutters and provides support for heavy weight loads. Gutter Helmet® is designed to not just preserve your investment in your gutters, but your home and your property as a whole.
