Few things help your home manage moisture better than its gutter system. By directing rainwater from your roof safely away from your siding and foundation, it makes sure that each and every inch of your property stays as dry as it needs to for optimal longevity.

But one part of your gutter system, if not properly managed can actually have detrimental effects to your home: downspouts. Intelligent Design Corporation, your Maple Grove providers of gutter installation services and more, is here with a few bits of info on them—what they do, what they are, and how to tell if they’re becoming a problem.

What Are Downspout Installations?

And if they can harm your home, why have them? Simply put, downspouts are the parts of your gutter that slope downward towards the ground and distribute the water away from your foundation. Without them, your gutter system wouldn’t work at all! Water would simply overflow from the pipes attached to your fascia, staining your siding and causing soil shifting that strains your foundation.

How Can Downspout Installations Cause Problems?

A properly installed downspout avoids problems by shepherding water away from your home, but one that has been lazily installed does the exact opposite. Indeed, many downspout problems are caused when the water they carry isn’t deposited far enough away from a building, resulting in a flooded basement, water damage, and cracks in the foundation.

However, poor maintenance can also contribute to fussy downspouts. For example, if debris catches in them and freezes, they can prevent your gutters from draining any necessary meltwater throughout the winter season. This can easily be prevented by proper cleaning; check out this article from The Spruce for more.

How to Spot a Downspout Problem

Only a qualified water damage restoration expert who has knowledge in gutter installations can tell you for sure! While it may be obvious in some cases—IE, if you can see a visible clog that blocks the mouth of the downspout—other potential symptoms, like the dreaded flooded basement, can be caused by a variety of things, only one being a downspout issue. Perhaps, for example, the problem is a leak further up the gutter installation that prevents the water from ever reaching the downspout in the first place. 

Intelligent Design Corporation: Your Maple Grove Water Damage and Downspout Installation Experts

Got water damage? Don’t automatically scapegoat your downspout; get Intelligent Design Corporation out to the property and tackle the real source of the problem for good. Give our Maple Grove office a call today at 763-315-0745.