clogged gutters Archives

Preventing Water Damage: The Importance of Gutter Maintenance

January 19, 2024January 19, 2024Gutter King Wichita

Preventing Water Damage to Gutters | Ice Dams, Icicles on the Gutter, Gutter Falling from House, Gutter Blockage. Winter can transform your home into a picturesque wonderland, but with it comes the potential for ice dams and water damage if your gutters aren’t properly maintained. The photo accompanying this post illustrates a classic case: a home during the winter where ice dams have formed, creating stunning yet potentially destructive icicles on the gutter, hanging off the edge. Specifically, this extra weight can easily bend or pull gutters away from the house or building.

What are Ice Dams?

Ice dams are ridges of ice that form at the roof’s edge and prevent melting snow from draining off the roof. And the water that backs up behind this dam can leak into a home and cause damage to walls, ceilings, insulation, and other areas. Preventing Water Damage to Gutters | Ice Dams, Icicles on the Gutter, Gutter Falling from House, Gutter Blockage.

Preventing Water Damage

How do Ice Dams Form?

The process begins with a clogged gutter. And when leaves, twigs, and other debris collect in your gutters, they impede water flow. Consequently, as the trapped water freezes and thaws, it can create an ice dam that forces water back up under your home’s shingles.

The Role of Gutters

Gutters are crucial in directing water away from your home’s foundation. When they’re blocked, water can’t flow to the downspouts and away from your home. Instead, it overflows, or worse, seeps into your home’s walls and foundation, potentially causing extensive and expensive damage.

Recognizing the Signs

The image is a telltale sign of gutter blockage and ice dam formation. The presence of large icicles hanging from the gutters, like those seen in the photo, is a visual warning. These icicles may look charming, but they indicate that water needs to be draining properly from your roof.

The Solution – Preventing Water Damage

At Gutter King Wichita, we specialize in gutter cleaning and repair services that can prevent the formation of ice dams. Our professional team will remove the debris from your gutters, ensuring water can flow freely. Additionally, we can repair any damage to your gutters and install gutter guards to prevent future blockages.

Preventing Water Damage to Gutters | Ice Dams, Icicles on the Gutter, Gutter Falling from House, Gutter Blockage.

FALL GUTTER CLEANING IS CRITICAL

Gutter Maintenance is Key

Regular gutter maintenance is essential, especially before the winter season begins. Cleaning your gutters in the fall can prevent the issues demonstrated in the photo. Remember, while the sight of icicles may be associated with winter charm, they should also raise a red flag about the health of your gutters and the safety of your home.

Preventing Water Damage

Don’t let the winter beauty deceive you. Ice dams can cause significant damage but are preventable with proper gutter care. Prevention is critical because the repair is complicated during January and February, when issues typically arise in Wichita. Contact Gutter King Wichita for a consultation and ensure you’ve prepared your home for winter’s challenges. Stay ahead of the weather and maintain your gutters to protect your home from preventable water damage.

Cleaning out gutters is a challenging and potentially dangerous job you should not take on by yourself. Check out our recent blog post on ladder safety. And this article about the 500,000 falls from ladders annually where 97 percent occur at home or on farms!

Do I Need Splash Blocks? A Missing Splash Block Can Cost You

September 4, 2021January 19, 2024Gutter King WichitaLeave a Comment

Do I Need Splash Blocks? We get this question a lot about gutter splash blocks. Read more to find out!

Gutter Splash Blocks vs Downspout Extensions

You know about gutters and downspouts, but what exactly is a gutter splash block? Splash blocks are rectangular plastic or concrete channels that carry rainwater from the downspout away from the foundation of your home.

Gutter systems can divert rainwater to gardens or into your lawn. A frequent issue we see when cleaning gutters is a missing splash block, whether it is a concrete splash block, a plastic splash block, or a stone splash block.

a missing splash block gutter cleaning wichita — A missing splash block

It would be best to direct rainwater from the home so that water doesn’t pool at your foundation. When rainwater pools at your foundation, it can cause leaks, water damage, and microbial growth in your home.

Splash block is positioned under the downspout and is not missing. gutter king wichita cleaning — Splash block is positioned under the downspout

A Missing Splash Block Can Cost You

If you have gutters installed in your home, there’s a good chance you also have downspouts; however, you might not have splash blocks. Sometimes people overlook these important components when researching gutter installations. They’re a necessity, and a missing splash block can cause expensive water issues.

If you need help with landscaping in the Wichita, Kansas area, we highly recommend JoJac’s Landscaping & Mowing.

How Are Splash Blocks Installed?

Install splash blocks directly under each downspout. The splash block should be large enough to carry water about three feet away. Constantly adjust them in an angle away from your home; prepare to change the grade level if necessary. The ideal pitch is a slope of 6 inches in 10 feet. The splash block needs to be higher at the foundation end, to move rainwater forward, away from the house. When you’ve placed your splash block in the appropriate place, level the soil and pack if necessary. Your splash block should settle with time and moisture.

Whether you’re putting finishing touches on your home’s exterior, protecting your landscaping, or safeguarding against foundation and water issues, splash blocks are essential. When rainwater pools at your foundation, it can cause leaks, water damage, and microbial growth in your home.

We invite you to keep coming back to our blog. We like being your go-to resource for all things gutter!

For help with rain water management at your property, give us a call.

How will I know when my gutters need to be cleaned?

February 24, 2019November 19, 2023Gutter King Wichita1 Comment

We do get this question a lot: “How will I know when my gutters need to be cleaned?”

You probably would rather think about a zillion other things besides your gutters. We understand.

Well, lemme ask you a question and then I will tell you a short little story.

A Question

Have you ever walked into a room of your basement and suddenly heard “splat-squish-splat-squish” down at your feet? And not a crunchy sound, like broken bits of dog food on the garage floor that should have been swept up. But instead, a sloppy, wet, and squishy sound. Like something is very berry wrong. Well, once upon a time, a very long time ago, we did that! Yep.

how will I know when my gutters need to be cleaned gutter cleaning wichita

A Short Little Story

It went something like this:

“Hey, ummmm what is this?” she asked.

“What’s what?” he asked.

“The carpet! It’s wet,” she said.

“What… I say what in the name of Jesse James do you suppose that is?”
–Foghorn Leghorn

“Oh, that’s water coming in at the top!”

How will I know when my gutters need to be cleaned

[sigh] It was a disaster! A pain in the butt. It was not fun. And furthermore, the cost to repair it was everything in this universe BUT cheap!

Cleaning the gutters would certainly have cost less.

The End.

gutter cleaning wichita

how will I know when my gutters need to be cleaned

Proactive versus Reactive

The BEST way to tell if your gutters are working properly is by taking a walk around the outside of your house and performing your own inspection.

you should check the downspouts and seams for cracks or separations, and
check that water flows down to the downspouts and doesn’t leak at the elbows, and
look at the splash blocks to see if they are properly aligned under the downspouts, and
make sure the gutters are not bent, crushed or coming off of the house

If you see any of the following, please give us a call right away:

water dripping from the bottom of the gutters (when it is not raining)
rainwater pooling at the foundation
a water trough or impression on your turf or landscape, near the foundation, and parallel to the roof line

BUT… most importantly, please don’t get out your ladder (unless you work for us).

Don’t risk a fall. Because your wife, husband, mother, father, daughter, son and your dog will thank you.

Just give us a call. Within mere minutes, we’ll set you up for a F.R.E.E., no obligation inspection.

If we find an issue, we can give you an instant quote for repair, cleaning, or even replacement.

Gutter King Wichita – When It Pours, We Reign

walk around the outside of your house and performing your own inspection

SIZE REALLY DOES MATTER

February 17, 2019November 19, 2023Gutter King Wichita2 Comments

When it comes to gutters and downspouts, size really does matter. And a single inch may not seem like much. But between 5-inch and 6-inch gutters, size really does matter.

Size really does matter seamless guttering gutter king wichita

What Size Gutter Do I Need?

For standard residential homes, 5-inch gutters are usually fine.

Material costs for 6-inch seamless gutters are almost twice those for 5-inch gutters. Labor costs are a little higher as well. Yet, 6-inch gutters, compared to 5-inch gutters, can move roughly 40% more water. Therefore, homes with more steeply pitched roofs and increased surface areas could benefit from a larger gutter. The reason is that the 5-inch water trough may not be able to keep up and catch it all when there is increased velocity and volume of rainwater. Also, if a home has larger fascia board, the 6-inch gutter may look better than the 5-inch trough.

What Type of Rain Gutter Do I Need?

Size really does matter seamless guttering half round guttering gutter king wichita

Rain gutters come in several types, sizes, and shapes. We call these profiles. Profiles include U or half-round shapes, as well as K configurations. Specifically, the gutter front, when viewed from the side, looks like the letter K. These are made of either aluminum, galvanized steel, or copper in a standard “K” style.

What Size Downspout Do I Need?

While rain gutters collect the rain water from the roof area, your downspouts move this water away from the foundation.

As mentioned above, for standard residential homes, 5-inch gutters are usually fine. However, the size of the gutter is sometimes less important than the size of the downspouts. Also, whether the gutter trough is kept clean or has any protection or cover from leaves is a factor. Downspouts come in different sizes, such as 2×3 inches and 3×4 inches. Therefore, instead of installing a 2×3-inch downspout on a 5-inch trough, sometimes an oversized 3×4-inch downspout will benefit the homeowner.

Size Really Does Matter

Again, a single inch may not seem like much. But between 5-inch and 6-inch gutters, size really does matter. At Gutter King Wichita, we are dedicated to helping you find the right products for your home. From seamless guttering to gutter cleaning, to gutter guards, we have the products and services to protect your home. When you need expert guttering advice, turn to the professionals: schedule a free inspection today.