| Rain Gutters and Downspouts
A well-designed roof will be impenetrable by water from rain
and melted snow and use an incline to direct
the water off of the roof. Rain gutters attached
to the lower edge of the roof are intended
to collect the flow coming off the edge of
the roof and channel it to the nearest downspout,
where it can be collected or further channeled
away from the house. Without rain gutters,
the mechanical properties of water will allow
some of it to seep back into and damage the
edge of the roof (even though this may require
the water to move upward again) and allow
a roof's worth of water to roll off the roof
and puddle on the ground around the house's
foundation (which will invite basement seepage
and thus require further basement waterproofing).
Unfortunately, as good as they are, most
gutters are prone to collecting more (such
as leaves, twigs, and dirt) than just water.
If not removed, these solid articles tend
to plug up the gutter and spout and lead
to the same type of water damage that you
would have without gutters.
To learn more about gutters,
downspouts,
and how to keep them clear and
functioning,
we have prepared the following
articles:
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