Every homeowner knows that gutters and downspouts are designed to direct water away from your home. It’s an important job, particularly here in Illinois where rain is often a weekly occurrence.  

Getting water away from your home is about more than just keeping you dry, it also protects your home from significant damage. If your gutters are clogged or otherwise not working properly, your home is at risk, and even a little water can cause a lot of problems. Here are six parts of your home that can suffer water damage as a result of clogged gutters. 

Your Gutters

During a storm, clogged gutters will fill with water. Each gallon of water weighs about 8 pounds, and that weight can bend your gutters and eventually tear them off.

Your Roof

Water that can’t be diverted away from the roof will pool in certain places. During our cold Chicago winters, ice dams in clogged gutters will drive water under your shingles. All of this will cause leaks into your roof, causing rot, mold and mildew, which can threaten both the structure of your roof, and your family’s health. 

Your Walls and Ceilings

Clogged gutters can also cause leaks that will damage the inside of your home. If you don’t get help with water damage like this right away, moisture will seep into the interior of your home, impacting your walls, ceilings, and even electrical systems.

Your Fascia, Siding, Windows, and More

Your gutters are held to your home by your fascia boards, which are covered by and connected to your home’s siding. Clogged gutters can lead to leaks that can rot the fascia and get behind your siding. Windows, door jambs, and even your flooring can all be damaged by this type of unexpected water penetration.

Your Foundation

When water cannot be properly drained and diverted away from your property, your foundation can be damaged. Too much standing water in the soil around your foundation can cause erosion. Erosion can make your foundation unstable, which can compromise your whole home and lead to very expensive repairs.

Your Basement

Even though your gutters are attached to your roof, water always flows downward. When your gutters are clogged, the water pouring down around your foundation can lead to a wet basement. This is caused by the water in the soil seeping through your basement’s walls and floor. A wet basement can lead to damaged finishes and furniture, and is a perfect breeding ground for damaging, dangerous mold and mildew.

Professional, Experienced Water Damage Restoration and Construction Services

Despite how scary all of these problems sound, many of them have a simple solution: Take the time in both spring and fall to clean out the gutters at your home, business, and any rental properties you own or manage. It’s a straightforward project that can prevent complex problems. 

If you have discovered water damage from clogged gutters, a run-down roof, rotten fascia, or basement leaks, we are here to help. McMahon services has been helping home and business owners from Evanston to Oak Park since 1954. We are experts at stopping leaks, safely restoring your property, and completing construction projects, including roofing and siding projects. When you work with one contractor from start to finish, your project will be faster and easier – including the insurance claims process. 

Since quick action is essential with water damage, we are available 24/7 to help protect both your family, and your investment. If you are hearing drips, seeing a flood, or starting to smell mold, call us right away to get professional, experienced help.