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Upper Roof Runoff

2/23/2018

 
Upper roof run off
Upper roof gutters collect water and channel to the downspouts. As a result, a large volume of water is directed to specific locations on the lower roof which increases wear in these areas.
Upper Roof runoff
Although this is a common arrangement of upper roof downspouts, it is less than ideal. As can be seen from this close up, the significant volume of water from the upper roof is causing excess concentrated water exposure and wear on the lower roof system.
Gutter Extensions
Example of proposed gutter upgrade in a residential setting. The downspout extension from the upper roof will channel water directly to the lower roof gutter.

Flat Roof Clog, Pond and Leak

1/26/2018

 
Ponding water on a flat roof
Flat roof problems - easily clogged gutter downspouts lead to ponding water.
Flat roofs are not ideal - they have a lot of issues with standing water from easily clogged gutters. Ponding water that remains on the roof will eventually find a way in to the substructure. This can easily lead to extensive water damage. Flat roofs require regular maintenance and need to be kept clear of debris as much as possible.
Clogged gutter on a flat roof
Easily clogged gutter - not good.
Standing water on roof
Standing water next to the wall to roof transition - prime location for water to enter the sub-structure.
Damaged drywall from water leak
Water damage from the inside. This is the same corner where the standing water is collecting on the roof. It is getting through the roof and wall and damaging the drywall inside.

Should have done this before it rained. How to clear a backed up gutter.

11/3/2017

 

How To Remove A Downspout Clog

10/27/2017

 
It's starting to rain in the Pacific Northwest and time to perform some simple maintenance on your gutters and downspouts. Downspouts are often connected to gutters with an elbow fitting. Because of the bends in the elbow, these are prone to clogs from pine needles, leaves and other debris. It is important to make sure your gutters and downspouts can actually drain the roof before the rainy season starts. Follow the steps below to make sure your downspouts are ready for the next few months of work.
Ladder under a downspout
Tools needed for this project - ladder, gloves, screwdriver or nut driver and a cleaning tool.
Picture
My preferred clog removal tool, a stick found on the ground.
Tools Needed:
•Ladder
•Gloves (sharp edges on the downspout sheet metal)
•Screwdriver - typically slotted or a nut driver - usually 1/4 inch or 5/16 inch
•Clog Removal Device - I'm using a stick I found on the ground
•Colorful Language (optional, but satisfying)
Gutter downspout fastener
Step 1 - Find the sheet metal screws holding the downspout fittings together. These are usually slotted type fasteners located at the fitting junctions.
Removing a sheet metal fastener
Step 2 - Remove all the fasteners of the downspout piece you want to remove.
Removing a downspout
Step 3 - Pull the joint apart. This may require some wiggling and the liberal application of colorful language.
Removing a downspout
Step 3 - Remove both sides of the elbow joint. Colorful language still helpful if needed.
Pine needle clog in a downspout elbow
Step 4 - Remove any clogs or debris from the elbow. This one is clogged with a large amount of pine needles.
Clearing a downspout clog
Step 4 - Using the "clog poking device" clear out any clog from the gutter to downspout connection.
Clogged gutter to downspout connection
Step 4 - View from below at the gutter to downspout connection. This still needs to have debris removed.
Replacing a downspout elbow
Step 5 - Once the downspout is clean, replace the elbow. It is usually easiest to start from the bottom connection. Once again, colorful language is helpful to get things to fit.
Replacing a downspout elbow
Step 5 - Almost done. Once the bottom of the elbow is in start to work on getting the upper end back in place.
Securing a downspout elbow
Step 6 - Once you have found the screw you dropped on the ground, put it back in place to secure the elbow.

Where does the water go once it exits the downspout?

7/28/2017

0 Comments

 
Your roof has a tremendous surface area that is excellent at collecting water during a rain storm. Hopefully all that water is going to a gutter and eventually to a downspout. Where does the water go once it leaves the downspout? Ideally, the downspout is connected to a perimeter or stormwater drain so that water is taken away from your foundation. Frequently, water is pooling at the downspout and can make its way to your foundation and lead to a very wet crawlspace or structural damage. 
Downspout without a splash block
Downspout without a splash block or connection to a drainage system. All the water is pooling next to the foundation and can lead to issues with a wet crawlspace.
Downspout draining water next to a foundation
Water from this downspout goes directly to the foundation. Not ideal and a good way to cause long term damage.
Take a look at the downspouts at your house. Are they connected to a drain system or are they able to spew water on the ground next to your house? If the downspout ends at the ground like the above pictures, you have a potential problem. All that water can erode the dirt around the foundation and lead to moisture penetration at the foundation and in to the crawlspace. An easy fix is either a splash block or a downspout extension (pictures below). They need to go at the end of the downspout and placed so that they direct water away from the house. 
Gutter downspout connected to a perimeter drain
This is the ideal solution. A downspout connected directly to a perimeter drain system that leads to a stormwater drain.
Incorrectly directed splash block
The green splash block is the right idea but poorly executed in this picture. This splash block needs to be turned 90 degrees so that the water is directed away from the house and towards the grassy area.
Downspout extension tube laying on ground
Down spout extension. Again, this is the right idea but it needs to be connected to a downspout to work.
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Foundation Leak - where is the water coming from and how to fix common problems.

5/19/2017

7 Comments

 
Foundation wall with normal shrinkage crack. The damp spot and water pool is not normal.
Foundation wall with a normal shrinkage crack. The damp spot and water pooling at the bottom is not so normal.
Finding water on the floor next to a crack in the foundation is always a bit disconcerting. Is there a buried pipe leaking? Do I have a groundwater problem? 

Most of the time, a minor leak is not a big deal if you take the time to correct the situation.
Close up of water leak through foundation wall.
Close up of the pooling water. The water spreading across the floor was cleaned up prior to this picture being taken.
These pictures are from inside a shop structure. Standard inside view of a poured foundation wall. The shrinkage crack running up and down the wall is a normal finding but the damp area at the bottom is not. There is a source of water on the outside of this wall that is significant enough to cause water penetration through the wall. The pool on the floor has already been cleaned up - it was much larger prior to these pictures being taken. 

No plumbing in the wall or on the side of the house. You have to look outside to find the source of this leak.
Foundation wall with shrinkage crack and evidence of water penetration.
Standard poured concrete foundation wall. The shrinkage crack is normal. Water leaking through the wall is not normal.
Outside view of a leaking foundation wall.
Outside the foundation wall. Is the water coming from the ground or above?
Outside view of the shop wall with the leak - it's about halfway down this wall on the inside. You need to look at the two likely causes to determine where the water is coming from.

• Ground sloping towards the wall instead of away.
• Water from gutter/roof system.

The ground is fairly flat here behind the wall. Slight slope from the neighbors yard but overall the grassy area behind the shop wall is fairly dry. No evidence of ground water moving towards the wall.
Evidence of water leaking over the edge of the gutter. Caused by clogged downspouts.
Found the water. This gutter has clogged downspouts and is causing an overflow leak.
Soggy and muddy ground under a gutter leak.
Soggy ground and a drying puddle under the leak. This is at the same location as the shrinkage crack inside the shop.
Always look up at the roof and gutters - even a small drip can lead to problems over time. Right above the location of the leak inside we can find evidence that the gutters have been overflowing and dripping. Note the pine needles and gunk residue from the overflow of this gutter system. The ground under this leak is soggy and muddy. We found the source of the leak.

How to fix (need to be comfortable with getting on a ladder - if you are not, hire someone to do it for you):

1. Look at the gutter system for clogs. Common spot to find it is in the downspout connection or inside the downspout itself.
2. Remove any clogs and debris from the downspouts and gutters. Ensure that water from the roof has a controlled path to the ground.
3. Look at where the water is coming out of the downspouts. Is there a splash block? Is there a connection to a drainage system? Water from the roof needs to be directed away from the foundation and allowed to go downslope away from the structure.

This is an easy problem to fix with just a little effort and time. 

7 Comments

Clogged Gutters

3/10/2017

 
Clogged gutters full of pine needles and moss.
Gutter clogged with all sorts of debris.
Gutter clogged with moss and organic debris.
Where can all the water from the roof go in this gutter?
Clogged gutters are generally out of sight and out of mind until you start to notice that slow dripping after a rainstorm.

Roofs are a water shedding system and gutters are designed to take all of the runoff and direct it away from the house. For the system to work properly, the gutters need to be capable of collecting a large volume of water and directing it to the downspout.

The gutters in the pictures above have a bit of a problem. They are filled with tree leaves, pine needles and are a prime breeding ground for moss. Water draining from the roof is supposed to enter the gutters on the eaves and have a controlled path to the ground through the downspout. 

With these gutters, water can enter but it can't flow toward the downspout. Water will pool and eventually overflow the edges both next to the roof and over the far edge. This moisture will wick up into the roof sheathing and under the edge shingles causing damage over time. 

As you can see in the pictures below, prolonged pooling water has damaged the eaves of the roof and are causing rotting on the sheathing and fascia. This weakens the connection of the gutters and they have started to pull away from the house. Water from the roof will not get all the way in to the gutter and will instead run drip over the fascia and wick into the eaves. If this goes on long enough, damage will start to occur on the walls of the house.

Damaged gutter system pulling away from the edge of the roof.
Daylight seen between the edge of the roof and gutter system. These gutters need to be repaired.
Picture of roof eaves damaged by prolonged water penetration. Gutter is pulling away from the house.
Damaged eaves and gutter pulling away from the house.
The solution to this problem? These gutters need to be thoroughly cleaned and re-attached to the house. That will help mitigate the immediate problem but to help prevent future problems, the homeowner needs to start a regular, yearly cycle of gutter cleaning and maintenance. ​

Check out the video below from This Old House on repairing an aluminum gutter system. 

    Author

    Brian Jovag, owner of Jovag Home Inspection.

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