You gutters do a lot to protect your home. They help protect parts of the roof, the foundation of our home and the home's siding. However, if they are not working properly or were not installed properly, they are not protecting your home as they should and costly home issues can occur. Here are three fairly common gutter problems and how they can lead to costly home repairs.

No Flashing Along the Eaves

One of the important steps to gutter installation is installing flashing under the eaves of your roof. This flashing is a metal or vinyl sheet that sits directly between your roofing material and the gutter trough. The flashing protects the exposed wooden beams of your roof from water exposure. If the flashing is not in place or if your flashing is rusted or cracked water can seep into your roofing trusses and decking material. This can cause it to warp or not support the weight of your roofing material. If you can see wood between your roofing materials and your gutter trough, you need to call a gutter installation company to install flashing.

No Downspout Extensions or Splash Blocks

When your gutter system is installed, there should be downspout extensions attached to all of your downspouts or splash blocks that catch the water and drain it away from your home. If one of these two items are not in place, the water that pours down the downspout will land at the bottom of the downspout, which is directly above the foundation of your home. The water may begin to seep into the soil and rest against your foundation. Over time, this can cause foundation cracks to develop or water can seep in through these cracks leading to flooding in your basement or crawl space. Always have these items installed to prevent foundation problems due to your gutter system.

Not Enough Downspouts

The last common gutter issue that can lead to costly home repairs is not having enough downspouts. Your gutters should be designed to carry water from the trough to the downspout, where water can be discarded away from your home. But if there are not enough downspouts to accommodate average rainfall, water can flow over the edge of the gutters, ruining your home's siding or causing foundation problems. If you notice your gutters overflowing during a normal rainstorm, ensure they are free of debris. If they are, and the gutters are still overflowing, call a gutter installation or repair company to redesign your gutter system or install more downspouts.

If you notice that there is no flashing along the eaves of your roof between the gutters or the flashing is in poor condition, if you don't have enough downspouts or if your downspouts do not have extensions or splash blocks, call a gutter repair company. They can take a look at your gutters and fix the problem or have new gutter installation done to prevent costly home issues in the future.