They may seem like a minor thing, but gutters are one of the most important aspects of your protecting home.

Gutters should be maintained and replaced as necessary to keep the home’s integrity in the best shape possible. One of the most oftentimes seen problems with gutters on homes is running water behind the gutter.  This often happens when the gutters are full of debris, but there are other causes.

When the roof does not have a steep edge or slope to it, this can cause the water to slip back over the shingles and behind the gutters. Water then pools on the roof and into the foundation of the home as it fall straight down the outside walls and not out and away from the home.

There are way to reduce the chance of this happening or to stop it completely.

Make sure that the gutters, if new, were installed correctly by a professional gutter installation contractor. We don't recommend you attempt this yourself.  Poorly installed gutters will leave room between the roof and the gutter where the water is supposed to run off into. If this is happening to you, the best place to start is have your gutters inspected by a professional.

They may recommend placing a small strip of flashing between the gap in your roof and gutter area. This can stop the water from going down into the foundation of the home and help ease it into the gutters when it rolls down off the roof.

  • The flashing that is placed in this area should be secured with screws. This is to ensure that it does not come loose, even with the weight of heavy rains and snow or ice buildup.
The gap should also never be repaired with caulk, since this can wash away after a short period of time and may cause further problems with the gutter system on the home.

Speak with a professional that can assess the damage and repair or replace the gutters. Safety should always come first, and a professional can provide even more information that perhaps you might not have known regarding the gutters on your home.

Speak with us here at Quarve, where we can repair and replace gutters to keep your Minnesota home protected.  We are a licensed Minnesota exterior home remodeling company, and we serve the entire Minneapolis and St. Paul metro area.