Your gutter system plays an important role in home maintenance. It directs rainwater and melting snow away from your home to avoid a range of serious problems. Here’s what clogged gutters can do to your roofing shingles and other house components.

How Clogged Gutters Can Damage Your Home

1. Roof Leaks

Clogged gutters often cause rainwater and melting snow to back up under roofing shingles, resulting in leaks. You may notice brownish streaks on your ceilings and walls. Water damage from clogged gutters also promotes structural rot, which can cause the roof to sag or partially collapse.

2. Wet Basement

Water can pool around your home’s foundation when gutters clog. This can cause foundation cracks and erosion that weaken the structure and may cause it to shift. The liquid can also infiltrate your basement, causing issues such as concrete spalling and damage to items in the room.

3. Mold Growth

Water in walls, ceilings, and your basement promotes mold growth. Most strains of the fungi require dark, damp conditions to flourish. Mold can cause structural damage by feeding on wood. It can also trigger allergic reactions, asthma flare-ups, and other health issues such as headaches, nausea, fatigue, fever, and wheezing.

4. Siding Damage

Wooden siding starts to rot and weaken after continual exposure to rainwater and melting snow. Rotted siding requires quick replacement services to avoid curb appeal issues that affect your home’s resale value. Siding subjected to excess moisture is more likely to lead to wall leaks and mold growth.

5. Insect Infestations

Pooling water in gutters and around your home’s foundation creates a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes. Leaves and debris in gutters attract other insects, such as bees and wasps, by creating nesting material. Nesting material may also attract squirrels and other creatures who can damage roofing shingles. 

Clean your gutters regularly and keep roofing shingles intact with services from Cameron Roofing in Pittsford, NY. These contractors provide roof leak repair, snow removal, gutter repair, and roofing installation services. Call (585) 851-6169 today to schedule a free estimate or learn more about roofing services online.