AXE THE EGGSPURT
Originally Appeared in the Arkansas
12-2011
We at CM Construction get a lot of
‘water backing up’ calls this time of year, and the recent heavy rains haven’t
slowed the calls down. Of course you’re supposed to clean out your gutters
after the leaves have fallen, and that means now. If you are careful on a
ladder or have a company to do it, here are some tips for you and your
contractor.
Even if you have gutter screens,
you need to clean them off, especially if you have pine trees. Pine needles
often get caught in the riffles that keep out the leaves. And unless they are
installed properly, they can be more trouble than open gutters. Check for
debris infiltration where the screens are loose.
Thump on your downspouts, especially
on the elbows. If they have a dull thud instead of the delicious hollow sound,
they are packed with rotting leaves. These cause water to back up in the
gutters and will invite collapse, as gutters aren’t built to carry that much
dead weight.
If your downspouts empty into an
underground drain, thump that elbow above the drain inlet; if it’s full, your
drain may be clogged and you need to have a plumber snake it clean.
Don’t forget to get the leaves out
of the roof valleys; more roof leaks happen because of that than almost
anything else. You can attach a long pole to your rake if you are timid or if
your roof is steep. Getting up on a ladder is inherently dangerous, so use your
best judgment as to whether you should do it at all. If a mass of leaves gets
soaked and we have an ice storm, the ice dam may take a week to thaw and the
pool behind it will find its way into your attic.
A downspout that empties right next
to the foundation should have an extension or trough to carry away the water,
whether you have a basement, a concrete slab, or a pier-and-beam foundation.
Water is the enemy of the foundation; get it away. If you don’t like the look
of extensions or troughs and you need to redirect your drainage, there are
underground extensions available with popup valves that exit in your yard.
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