5 Guttering And Drainage Mistakes Homeowners Should Avoid

Installing your home’s guttering and drainage system is an important factor that you need to prioritize in your home. This will help ensure that you keep every water away from your home, keeping your property hygienic and flood-free. The last thing you’d want to happen is to experience small rain and see the edges of your exterior walls be full of water. With that, having a good gutter and drainage system is a must.  

Some people prefer to install their home’s gutter on their own as they’re a cheaper alternative. If you’re leaning toward that option, you should ensure that you purchase the right materials with you. You can look for quality products online like https://www.easymerchant.co.uk/guttering/ or other similar websites, and you should feel at ease knowing that they’ll last your household long. 

Moreover, listed below are the guttering and drainage mistakes homeowners should avoid:  

1.     Choosing The Wrong Gutter Type

If you’re planning to DIY your gutter installation, you should first know that no homes are alike. Just because one gutter type works perfectly for your neighbor, it doesn’t mean that it would be the best option for you, even if you’re sharing the same environment. With that, you first need to do thorough research about which type of gutter would work best for your home.  

There are three main types of gutters that you can choose from. You can either go with half-round, k-style gutter, or fascia gutter. Along with this, you can also decide on various materials to use, such as aluminum, copper, zinc, vinyl, or galvalume. You can just choose depending on your budget and final finish preference.  

2.     Angle Of Your Drainage 

Your drainage works by getting all of the excess water from your property and bringing them to their respective location. However, if you fail to install your drainage properly, you might not be able to successfully remove every part of the water, causing an intense flood around your home.  

Ideally, the landscape around your drains should be angled down, allowing the water to flow smoothly into them. The last thing you’d want to do is manually push the water through the drain just because the water isn’t moving towards it. This can cause an immediate flood, even with the smallest amount of rain around your home.  

3.     Incorrect Gutter Hanger Spacing

As you install your gutter on the edge of your roof, you’ll need a gutter hanger’s help to keep it in place. However, if you fail to space them correctly, it might cause your gutter to fail and break, which can cause an immediate flood and exterior wall damage due to intense waterfall.  

When installing a gutter hanger, you should place them at a maximum of three feet apart. In this way, you can provide proper support in case of heavy rainfall, causing them to carry a large volume of water non-stop.  

4.     Skipping Drainage Maintenance

Even if you can barely see your property’s drain as they’re flat on the ground, you shouldn’t forget to skip on maintaining your drainage system as it imposes health concerns and could be a safety hazard for people who might trip over.  

To maintain your drainage system, you should consider installing a drain guard to keep debris from going down through your pipes. This can be very dangerous, especially for your outdoor drainage, as the presence of grass and wood are most likely to clog your drains. Moreover, you should also unclog them regularly as clogged drains can cause an intense problem, along with backflow issues, making your property smell awful and ruin your landscape design.  

Alternatively, you should consider hiring a professional, especially your outdoor drainage system has more exposure to natural environments, which could put their quality and longevity at risk.  

5.     Failing To Angle The Gutters Properly

Your roof’s gutters shouldn’t be flat on your roof as you need to encourage a free flow, preventing water from being stuck on your gutters. While it may help keep the water away from your property, allowing water to stand still on your gutters may develop molds and invite pests inside your property, such as mosquitoes, which could bring diseases to your family.  

Ideally, you should angle your gutters properly. If you turn them too little, water might not be able to flow properly. However, bending it too low might cause a rush in water, which can immediately flood your drains, causing more problems.  

If you’re having trouble identifying the right angle, you should consider hiring a gutter contractor as they exactly know how to incline your angle, allowing the water to flow fluidly, not causing any floods during heavy rainfall. While they could be an added expense, they can help to prevent any future issues.  

Conclusion 

Gutter and drainage problems will always be a headache you need to face. Knowing the common mistakes will help put you on the right track to prevent them from happening. However, if you’re having doubts about the final output of your guttering, you should consider hiring a professional as they can get the job done perfectly, removing yourself from any future troubles.