Your home’s gutter system is fairly simple: To direct rainwater down the roof and far away from your home. One of the key elements to keeping this system working in top shape is your downspouts — the hollow tube that runs down your house from your gutter all the way to the ground.
Downspouts are often made from plastic, aluminum, galvanized steel or copper. They can be designed and painted to match your house and just like everything else that isn’t made to last forever, your downspout also needs replacing.
Why do you need to replace your downspout?
It’s critical for you to always clean and maintain your downspouts. Make sure you remove the leaves, twigs and other objects that may otherwise clog it and prevent it from channeling the water towards the ground. Of course, no matter how hard you keep it functioning at its prime, at some point you will need to replace it soon enough.
The essence of downspout replacement lies in its functionality. When you don’t clean, maintain or replace it, it won’t properly keep the water away from your home. The next thing you know, you could have water issues in your walls and ceilings or basement.
When do you need to replace your downspout?
There are various ways your downspout will deteriorate. Here are some signs for a downspout replacement or repairs.
- Many cracks, holes and rust spots
Sometimes, a crack or split can easily be fixed with a little flashing or a reliable sealant. However, when you are faced with dozes of them, then it’s time you replace the entire downspout.
- Nails or screws found on the ground
Unless you’re doing some home remodeling, the sudden appearance of nails or screws on the ground aren’t a good sign. This means these screws that are meant to keep your gutter fastened have become loose themselves. Remember when this keeps on happening, it’s high time you call for a an inspection by a professional company.
- Numerous broken fasteners
Like those nails and screws, if you see those metal pieces designed to keep your gutter attached to your roof broken or all over the place, then maybe make an attempt to fix them first. If it becomes a repeated incident, then you should go for a new downspout inspection or replacement.
- Flooded basement
Downspouts are made to prevent indoor flooding in your home. If water has been getting into your basement, then it’s obviously causing expensive damage. Waiting or procrastination on getting an inspection is not the right road at all. Any minor build up water anywhere isn’t normal if your downspout is working fine.
- Appearance of gaps
Another sign that your downspout is wearing out is when the gutter begins to pull away from your roof. Those gaps are an alarming way of telling you that those quick repairs for the fasteners aren’t working anymore. This means your fascia board is rotting and a replacement will most definitely put an end to the problem.
- Standing water
Another indicator of a poor downspout is standing water or any sort of blockage that’s come between the roof, gutter and downspout. Sure, you can try to correct the problem but again, when this happens, you may already need to look at talking to local eavestrough company.
- Peeling paint
Many don’t know that peeling paint is a sign that your downspout is wearing out. When your paint is continuously peeling away from your ceiling or wall, this means there is excessive moisture inside the house. The culprit? You guessed it, a bad downspout. If it gets to this, this means your downspout has been having problems for quite some time now.
- Eroded landscaping
Your landscaping doesn’t only give you the personal pleasure of making it look good. It also adds beauty and value to your home. However, a bad downspout can easily ruin all your efforts. The next thing you know, your landscaping is falling apart. So as early as you can, make sure you replace it before anything worse happens.
Downspouts, no matter how simple they appear, they do a lot to keep your home safe from water damage. Be sure to replace them as soon as you begin to see any signs that they are wearing out.
Get in touch with us here at Tip Top Trough so we can get out for a proper eavestough audit.