Heavy Rains Can Cause Problems

Heavy Rains Create Drainage Troubles

The amount of sustained rains we have had over the past several days could be creating water problems around your house you are not aware of but could cause serious damage.

If your gutters are not clear and free flowing, the excess water will begin to overflow the gutter and as a result will collect along your house's wall rather than running off in the drainage pipe where it is intended to go. This can result in water coming into your basement or crawl space which is usually nice and dry when the water is directed away as it should be.

If you are able, take a walk around your house and simply observe what your gutters are doing. Can you see water running over the tops of the gutters or overflowing at the end of the troughs? Can you hear water running down the downspout? Is the water all going into a drainage pipe or at least being directed away from your house where the downspout comes to the ground?

Have you checked your basement or crawl space lately? If you have a traditionally wet basement, have you checked to see if the sump pump is doing it's job?

If you have gutter issues, unless you are really, really comfortable with ladders or walking on wet roofs, you should call a professional to deal with your problem. Anyone in the gutter cleaning business, usually associated with window cleaning should be able to safely clear plugged gutters at a reasonable cost.

Remember, water damage can result in extreme cost depending on what kind of trouble it starts. A damp basement can be the perfect breeding ground for molds and mildew which you really don't want in your house.